《Across Mountain Peaks (Cultivation LitRPG)》 Chapter 1: Initiation
Thousands gathered within and around the central tower of Dantang, the city of Jade, the capital of Azuma. Within its main sanctuary, many young men and women stood in wait for the ceremony that would change their lives. They stood in 8 sets of uniform lines. Separated by their respective sects. Atop a pedestal in the sanctuary stood a large pillar of carved sapphire with hundreds of golden scripts. The leaders of each of the 8 sects sat at their seats before the pillar. Hundreds of other spectators stood about the room in wait to witness such an event. In the middle of one of the 8 groups of junior sect members was Xai Faung. His light blue and white gi set nicely fitted on his slender body. He kept picking at strands of his black hair as his hazel eyes stuck forward at the sect leaders and the massive spire behind them. He flinched slightly when a hand touched his shoulder. "Calm down Xai. Don''t embarrass yourself in front of everyone just yet." He spun around to see a familiar face. He stood several inches above Xai, his form was more built and his skin slightly darker. Contrary to Xai, he was completely bald with deep black eyes. He wore a similar uniform to the smaller man. "I won''t embarrass myself, Liang," Xai stated, punching his friend lightly on the shoulder. Despite his words, he could feel his face grow warm. "Get back in form you two." A female voice spoke behind them. The two men turned to see a woman standing at attention. Her hair was a brilliant white. On the other hand, her crimson eyes glared at the two men. Her sect uniform was slightly different from the others. It was still the light blue and white garb. But it was slightly lighter and exchanged the pants for shorts instead. Liang rolled his eyes before walking back in line. "I was just trying to help Xai with the pre-initiation jitters. Plus, Toya, it''s not like we are the only ones out of line... literally." The man gestured to another set of sect members. These however wore black and red colors. Most of their sect members were disorderly and talking amongst themselves. "He can get over himself. And don''t worry about the business of other sects" Toya stated. A moment later, a booming voice echoed through the room, silencing all chatter. "I shall begin by thanking all citizens of Dangtang and beyond for attending this ceremony." The gazes of all within the chamber turned to face a figure that appeared in a flash of sparks and light. He wore robes made from the finest black and gold cloth. Atop his head sat the imperial crown of Emperor Hisui. The emperor''s hands shifted towards the young men and woman before him. "And most of all the upcoming warriors of Azuma for their relentless training." He then turned to address the sect leaders behind him. "And for the mighty sect leaders for training them to where they are now." He gestured a hand to the seated man on the far left of the room. He wore red and orange robes. His hair and short beard were near pitch black and speckled with grey streaks. "Master Byo Ling, of the Burning Flower Sect." Hisui moved his hands to the next leader, a younger man draped in gold robes that matched his equally shimmering hair and eyes. "Master Caifu Ying, of the Golden Mountain Sect." He moved his hand again, this time to a woman where a somewhat revealing purple and silver outfit. While most of her more delicate bits were covered, the rest of her body was draped over with translucent purple fabric. "Lady Toph Kazucha, of the Dancing Lion Sect." His hand moved again to an elderly man whose eyes were so sunken into their sockets that they looked hardly there. Long grey hair drifted down to nearly reach the floor from where he sat. He wore long black and purple robes that seemed to accentuate his seemingly frail form. "Master Dushou, of the Silent Palm Sect." His hand moved once more, now to a man clad in armor made of layered metal. Resting against his chair was a large odachi, nearly the size of himself. "Master Koroshi Sanyai, of the Twin Horizon Sect." Again, his hand moved. Now to another woman in a much more modest outfit. Her hair was bright blue, as were her eyes and tight robes. "Lady, Saiuchi Nochi of the Soothing Waves Sect." Next, was a man in red and black robes. His hair was black, in contrast with his piercing red eyes. His skin was somewhat pale and his frame slim. Nonetheless, his presence was felt by nearly everyone in the room, even if only slightly. "Master Xue Ting, of the Crimson Moon Sect." At last, the Emperor''s hand was cast toward Xai''s master. His long grey hair was cast in a bun at the top of his head. He wore a fine silk blue and white robe with waves of mist across it. "And Master Youshan Wu, of the Silver Mist Sect. To each and every one of you, I commend your efforts." Applause erupted through the entire chamber. It quickly silenced as the Emperor spoke again. "But without waiting any longer, let''s allow these youths to become the warriors they were born to be. As I call your name, approach the Ascension Stone," he gestured to the pillar of sapphire behind him. "And rest your hand upon it; be granted the System which will raise you to new heights beyond what mortals could hope to reach." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The Emperor then began listing off names. One by one, a junior member of one of the 8 sects stepped forward and set their hand on the floating stone. As they did so, the markings on it began to glow brighter before dimming. Afterward, the Junior returned to their place, looking around at the world with a new sense of wonder. Then finally. "Xai Faung." Xai quickly tried to calm his jitters and keep a hand away from his hair. As he passed the Emperor he stumbled as his body brushed passed something. It wasn''t anything physical; just a strange feeling of energy washing through his body. Xai knew the energy, though he could not see it, he knew the feeling: Ki. An immense amount of pure Ki emanated from the Emperor. Even though Xai was several feet away, he knew the Emperor''s ki was being heavily suppressed. If he wished, the Emperor could make everyone in this room kneel to him by the sheer pressure of his Ki. As Xai got closer to the pillar, and passed the Emperor, the feeling gradually faded as he reached his hand out and, at last, set a hand upon the Ascension Stone. The script across the sapphire began to brighten. Xai felt a pulse of energy course through his body like a bolt of lightning. Xai quickly pulled his hand from the pillar, but the transfer was already complete. As he opened his eyes a small translucent scroll appeared before him before unrolling. The parchment was blank for a moment. But a few seconds later script began appearing across the long page. ~~~~ [Name: Xai Faung] [Level: 1 (F)] [Vitality: 12] [Endurance: 10] [Strength: 8] [Dexterity: 14] [Intelligence: 12] [Willpower: 5] [Perception: 10] [Charm: 16] ~~~~ As soon as Xai''s eyes finished scanning over the script the scroll closed, and vanished in a near inaudible pop. Xai looked around himself, he expected to finally be able to see the Ki flowing through the air, or at least the remnant aura around some of the strong Ki-wielders in the room, such as the sect leaders and the Emperor. But there was nothing. Instead, he saw small writing above each of their heads, as well as a handful of the young sect members who had previously set their hand upon a stone. He couldn''t quite read the numbers above their heads, but he could easily see the Emperor''s:[Level: ??? (?)]. Of course, it was too high to see. He didn''t know what to expect from Emperor Hisui. Xai ultimately returned to his spot in line. Liang clasped his shoulder and shook him lightly. "How''s it feel?" Xai looked down at his hands. "Apart from the numbers above everyone''s head, I don''t feel any different." He said glancing up above Liang''s head. [Level: 1 (F)] He wasn''t quite sure what he expected. "Toya Katrina." Behind the two new initiates of the system, Toya walked towards the Ascension Stone. "Back in line." She whispered to the two as she walked by. *** Over the next hour, as names continued to be called, Xai and Liang tested what the System could do. Like all other citizens of the realm, they knew of the System. While not everyone was permitted to awaken it by touching an Ascension Stone most knew generally what it did: it allowed whoever obtained the system to perform outstanding feats beyond mortal limits. Combine this with the cultivation of Ki within the bodies of the warriors of Azuma, and their power became neigh limitless over time. That being said, some of the strongest cultivators of Ki had spent several hundred years with both Ki and the System and hadn''t ascended. Many speculated how long it generally took to ascend beyond the mortal realm with the help of Ki and the System, but most assumed at least a thousand years if not more. All beings, regardless of bloodline began as a level 1. Their species determined their starting rank, but humans began with F; the lowest. Followed by E, D, C, B, A, and S being the highest, just shy of true ascension. Most species could only evolve their rank one or two ranks at most. But humans were unique in the fact that, while starting at the lowest rank, could eventually evolve to the highest over time with enough determination. Evolving one''s rank was slightly different for each species, but generally involved increasing your level close to 100 in a rank; having it reset to 1 after you rank up. Regardless, all the system seemed to do for Xai and Liang was display levels above the other junior''s heads and open or close their status screen. Finally, the Emperor spoke once more to the crowd. "At last, that concludes this year''s initiation ceremony. Please, leaders of the 8 great sects, take your juniors to your halls and celebrate. For much power and hard work is to be had for them in the days to come." With that Emperor Hisui vanished in the same show of sparks as he had entered. Applause erupted from the crowd around them as the sect leaders stood and began escorting their respective sect members away. *** It took several hours for the sect members of the Silver Mist Sect to venture across Dantang to the base of the mountain their sect rested upon. As they walked, Xai tried to catch a glimpse of the level above his master''s head. He''d quickly walked to the front of the crowd a few times to get a glimpse, but all that appeared were question marks, just like the ones above the Emperor''s head. Suddenly, Master Wu halted at the base of the mountain. The other sect members looked around in silence for a moment. "We still have another hour of walking around the mountain before getting to the path. Why did we stop?" Liang asked. He still stood next to Xai. Master Wu then turned to address the members of his sect. "Whilst I do congratulate each and every one of you on your hard work and training; tempering your bodies beyond many common men and woman. But now a new time has arisen. You are all now one with the System, just like I and all of your seniors at the Silver Mist Sect. With that comes great power. But great power must be earned. Your first test as wielders of the System is to reach the sect hall by nightfall without using the paved path." Youshan gestured a hand up the mountain. "Any who are seen on the path will be sent back to the mountain''s base. Other than that, you may use any route you wish. Any who do not reach the sect hall by nightfall will be issued extra rounds of- apparently much-needed- training. Other than those restrictions, feel free to take any route you see fit. But one final message. There is a reason we paved a path to our sect. And it''s not because it was convenient." With that, Youshan bowed to his students as his form became mist that quickly ascended the mountain before many of the juniors could even blink. For several seconds, everyone stood around in confusion. "What the hell is everyone waiting on? We only have until the sun sets!" Liang shouted as he ran forward toward the trees that blanketed the mountain. Several more followed his lead. "Of course, he runs in without a second thought," Toya muttered as she walked towards the forest. Her hand drifted to a long chain wrapped around her waist. She pulled it off and casually began wrapping it around one of her arms as she vanished into the foliage. Xai touched the hilt of his straight sword in the scabbard at his waist. He looked up to the summit of the mountain in the distance, then to the sun hanging high in the sky. He stepped forward into the forest alongside all the others. Chapter 2: The First Test The sect members had quickly spread throughout the base of the mountain. After just a few minutes, Xai noticed he was alone. In the distance, he could faintly hear the footfalls of some of the closer members. Unlike many of the others, Xai didn''t break off into a run immediately. There was roughly 5 hours until nightfall. If he walked the whole way up the mountain- without resting- it would only take him about 3 hours to reach it. Leaving him a 2-hour window to take his time. In the calm silence of the forest, Xai opened his status again, this time taking a longer look at it. ~~~~ [Name: Xai Faung] [Level: 1 (F)] [Vitality: 12] [Endurance: 10] [Strength: 8] [Dexterity: 14] [Intelligence: 12] [Willpower: 5] [Perception: 10] [Charm: 18] ~~~~ Most of it wasn''t too surprising. From the little he knew of the system, commoners without any form of combat training generally had stats averaging at 5. While most trained warriors who have not begun cultivating Ki were around an average of 10. From there, the averages ranged wildly from person to person depending on their level, and refinement of Ki. His vitality, dexterity, and intelligence were understandably high. He''d been told many times before that he was quick to learn many of the weapons and martial arts the Silver Mist Sect taught. His strength and willpower were lacking, but that was mainly due to the fact he never bothered training them. His strength was only higher than the average man''s simply due to him needing to exercise constantly for his training. However, one question did linger in his mind. "Why is my ''charm'' so high?" He mumbled. Not just that, but also the fact that a stat named ''charm'' even existed. While he didn''t know the reason for the system''s existence, only warriors had it to his knowledge. Or anyone who served in a sect, or the military. Then again, many of the sects, such as the Dancing Lion sect and Silent Palm sect, focused far more on various forms of infiltration. He supposed ''charm'' could help to some extent or another. Then another thought struck him. ''Charm'' could also mean something like leadership or presence. More-or-less just how well people would listen to him. Even if his theory was correct, he still had no idea how it was his highest stat. He was broke from his thoughts by a low growl to his side. Xai set a hand on his sword and turned to see a grey leopard stalking towards him. The warrior tensed up for a moment as he read the words floating above the beast''s head. [Level: 12 (F)] Xai drew his sword and readied himself. He''d fought leopards before. They were difficult to be sure, but taking down a lesser beast of the mountain had been one of their first tasks after basic training within the Silver Mist sect. But for some reason, Xai couldn''t stop the small shot of nerves across his body at the leopard being at such a higher level than him. He tried to steady himself and take a breath. "It''s just a leopard." He whispered to himself, dropping his stance lower ever so slightly. "You''ve fought them when you were far weaker." Xai made the first move, shooting towards the leopard as he unsheathed his blade. The beast roared and leaped to the side, away from the swinging blade. Xai didn''t let up on his assault, dashing forward again and landing a slice on the leopard''s face. The beast snarled and dove at him. Xai rolled forward, under the leopard, before spinning around slashing the beast across its side just as it landed. The leopard snarled again but didn''t attack immediately. Opting to stalk around Xai from a safe distance thinking of its next plan of attack. However, Xai didn''t give the beast time to breathe as he rushed forward again. The leopard swiped at him, but Xai rolled to the side before stabbing the beast in the side. He followed the attack quickly by swinging his blade downward in an arc at the top of the beast''s neck. The blade stuck halfway through the leopard''s neck. The beast tried to turn and snarl at the sect member but nothing but clots of blood spilled from its mouth before it inevitably fell over and became limp. Suddenly, several translucent slips of paper began appearing in Xai''s vision. ~~~~ [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] ~~~~ Xai waved away the several slips of paper as another appeared. ~~~~ [You have 8 unspent stat points] ~~~~ There it was. A level up: the primary way people who have gained the system grew in power. He''d already had a faint understanding of how it worked, simply due to asking some of the more experienced disciples of his sect. While the number of stat points gained per level varied depending on the rank of the user- F being the lowest, only granting one- each level gave a number of stat points to increase whatever stat they desired. Upon reaching level 100 within a rank. You were permitted to rank up. Decreasing most of your stats to their base value, but keeping their effectiveness. For example, if you reached level 100 within a rank with 50 vitality, after your rank up it would get reduced back to 10, but keep the same effect as it had been at 50 in the previous rank. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. What did surprise him however was the ease at which he''d killed the leopard. Despite the fact it was several levels above him, it didn''t seem any different from when he''d fought leopards before. Perhaps the system just allocated an appropriate level to whatever beasts he encountered. But even so, it was clear that he could handle beasts far beyond his level, at least to a point. Xai opened his status again to decide what to allocate his stat points towards. ~~~~ [Name: Xai Faung] [Level: 9 (F)] [8 Stat points available] [Vitality: 12] [Endurance: 10] [Strength: 8] [Dexterity: 14] [Intelligence: 12] [Willpower: 5] [Perception: 10] [Charm: 18] ~~~~ His immediate reaction was to put the points into his lower stats, such as strength and willpower, but paused. He''d never really been challenged mentally before. While he doubted he''d never encounter it, he knew only those rather skilled in the manipulation of Ki could perform any form of mental attack. Xai decided to put two points into each of his physical stats: vitality, endurance, strength, and dexterity. It didn''t take long for another leopard to appear further up the mountain; another level 12. It was dispatched rather easily, granting Xai 2 more levels, and 2 more stat points. One went into vitality; another into endurance. But along with the extra levels and stats, another translucent scroll unrolled itself before him. ~~~~ [Level 10 reached] [You have 1 skill reward of rank ''F''] [You meet the requirements for 2 skills] [Select one of the following skills to acquire] - [Swordsmanship (F)] - [Intuition (F)] ~~~~ "Oh... ten levels then." He muttered to himself. He was aware users of the system gained skills occasionally as they leveled, but he never bothered to ask when. He''d had a theory it was once the user reached a level threshold, it seemed he was right. As for the two skills he could choose from swordsmanship seemed somewhat useless. Granted, he didn''t know how getting a skill of something he was already relatively skilled at would change it. He expected his skill with a sword would get better, but at the current moment, it had never been an issue. He''d spent years training with all forms of weapons before now. That was probably the reason he was viable to gain this skill to begin with. Then there was ''Intuition''. That was a mystery. Partly because he wasn''t even aware of what the word meant. He wasn''t dumb, but he was no scholar. He knew the word... well existed, he''d just never quite seen it used before- or at least explained to him. As those thoughts crossed his mind, another roll of parchment unraveled itself before him. ~~~~ [Intuition (F)] [Description: Intuition; the ability to acquire knowledge, without recourse to conscious reasoning. You will occasionally learn a small- and often vague- bit of information about something, often to aid in a fight or get through a problem. The frequency and vagueness of this skill is affected slightly by your ''Intelligence'' as well as this skill''s rank] ~~~~ "That seems... useful," Xai said to absolutely no one. Xai chose to gain ''Intuition'' rather than swordsmanship for now. Plus, even if he made the wrong choice now, he could always choose swordsmanship once he reached level 20... probably. Xai continued walking to the mountain''s summit. Just over an hour had passed since the juniors of the Silver Mist sect began their ascent up the mountain. Xai looked up one the canopy of the trees to the sun hanging in the sky. He wondered how the others were doing. *** ~~~~ [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] *** [You have 12 unspent stat points] *** [Level 10 reached] [You have 1 skill reward of rank ''F''] [You meet the requirements for 3 skills] [Select one of the following skills to acquire] - [Strong Man (F)] - [Durable (F)] - [Adrenaline Rush (F)] ~~~~ "Shit. It''s finally dead." Liang fell face up onto the grass. His two large sabers rolled out of his hands and fell at his sides. A few feet away lay the corpse of a massive boar. One of its tusks was broken off, and its brown fur was stained with fresh blood. One of its eyes had been split open by a large gash across its face. The beast had been a monstrous level 25. A year ago during training within this very mountain, the juniors had been told the giant boars of the mountain were best avoided. But that had been a year ago. Despite having paid the price of a bruised arm and possibly a broken rib somewhere, Liang had managed to fell the beast after a full 5 minutes of fighting it. But his pain had been rewarded. He opened his status to allocate the surge of stat points he''d gotten. ~~~~ [Name: Liang Warshi] [Level: 13 (F)] [12 stat points available] [Vitality: 16] [Endurance: 14] [Strength: 20] [Dexterity: 8] [Intelligence: 5] [Willpower: 10] [Perception: 8] [Charm: 5] ~~~~ Without so much as a second glance, he dumped all of the points he had into strength, bringing it up to a staggering 32. Liang chuckled as he felt a slight jolt of energy course through his muscles. He turned his head to the skills list. He didn''t think about this too much either. He chose ''Strong Man'' without so much as looking at the others. If the name was anything to go by then it made him stronger. Maybe by the time he could take on another boar with his bare hands. He''d have to try that next time he saw one. "Welp, that''s enough rest." He told himself as he got up from the grass, ignoring the groan of his muscles in protest. Before he continued his ascent he wanted to check something. He walked over to the nearest large rock before bringing his fist back and smashing it down with all his might. Crunch "Gahhh!" Liang shouted as he waved his hand. He looked at it, then the rock. "At least my hand isn''t broken. Then again, neither is the rock." He sighed. "Guess I''ll have to get Ki after all." *** Toya didn''t bother with most of the beasts on the mountain. She''d killed a particularly bloodthirsty monkey on her way up the mountain- throwing it from a cliff by wrapping it in chains- gaining her 5 levels. The points of which she''d yet to decide what to do with. She''d stuck to the cliffs for most of her ascent. While it was mostly avoided since if one fell, especially someone without Ki to protect them, they''d most certainly die from the fall, or at the very least, be unable to climb any higher due to their injuries. But Toya had spent most of her childhood climbing cliffs and particularly massive rocks. Now she sat at the edge of one such cliff staring off down the mountain and toward the city of Dantang in the distance. She was about halfway up the mountain already and still had several hours until the deadline needed to be within the sect hall. She lay down on her back and opened her status menu. She might as well allocate her stats while she waited. ~~~~ [Name: Toya Katrina] [Level: 6 (F)] [5 stat points available] [Vitality: 10] [Endurance: 12] [Strength: 7] [Dexterity: 17] [Intelligence: 13] [Willpower: 10] [Perception: 12] [Charm: 8] ~~~~ She could always just spread it among her low stats, even everything out before committing to something. Especially considering the fact it was a bit vague on what some of the stats did. Things like endurance, strength, and intelligence were pretty obvious. But dexterity could mean anything from flexibility to reaction time or both. Willpower seemed straightforward; it was mental strength. But did that only count for mental attacks? Or did it help her resist more mundane mental effects, like stress? Charm most of all was vague. Her first thought was her literal looks, but that hardly seemed like a useful stat. Then she expected her way with words. While that may be more accurate, it just didn''t feel right, given the System was crafted for the warriors of the realm. According to the old myths at least. "I''m just going to play it safe." She muttered, dumping a single point into vitality, endurance, strength, dexterity, and intelligence. It was a shame she didn''t have a few spare stat points to increase everything by one, but she''d deal with that later. For now, it was just time to enjoy the view. Chapter 3: Trio ~~~~ [Level Up] [Level Up] ~~~~ Xai pushed away the two floating pieces of paper. And allocated his two free stat points into Vitality and Endurance. First on the account that he was out of breath from the fight he just had, and the fact that one of the three dead leopards around him had landed a blow on his shoulder. The wound wasn''t awfully deep, it would heal on its own in time. But it still hurt like hell and stained his sleeve. In the past half hour, he''d ascended the mountain more; roughly halfway. He was almost to the edge of the forest where he''d eventually need to scale a rather treacherous cliffside. Technically there were cliffs on another section of the mountain that would have offered a quicker route, but Xai didn''t trust himself to not fall to his death. Xai left the corpses of the leopards behind as he continued. He cursed under his breath at the pain pulsing through his shoulder. If he''d known his afternoon would be climbing a mountain and fighting wild beasts, he would have brought his medical pouch. He really missed not having some ointment to rub on the wound. As he walked he began to hear shouting in the distance. If it were anyone else, he would have passed them by but he knew that voice. "Liang," Xai whispered to himself as he bolted toward the direction of the screams. Xai quickly came to a clearing to see Liang fighting a large boar with his bare hands. His two sabers lay scattered across the clearing. Xai quickly scanned over Liang and the boar''s level. Liang rested at level 16 whilst the boar''s was 25. While he knew Liang was a capable fighter, and that the beasts seemed relatively easy to kill even, by lower-level opponents, he wasn''t going to just watch his friend potentially get injured. Xai dashed forward towards the side of the boar and held his blade forward. The tip of Xai''s sword pierced the boar''s thick hide with little resistance, being driven halfway into the boar. The beast squealed and quickly moved from the direction of the pain to face Xai. Liang, who had both his fists raised against the boar, alit with a smile. "Xai? Can''t believe you made it all the way here so fast." "Go pick your blades up, I''ll distract the beast," Xai spoke, not taking his eyes from the boar as it looked between the two cultivators. "Why? I set them over there for a reason." Laing retorted. Xai raised a brow and looked at his friend. "Why?" He didn''t get a reply as the boar snarled and charged toward Xai. The boar was fast for its size- standing nearly 5 feet tall- but it wasn''t as fast as the leopard''s had been. Xai leapt to the side away from the boar as he set a slash across its face. He took a few extra steps back as the boar shook the blood from its face. "Cause, using my sabers is too easy," Liang shouted and he ran forward and slammed his foot into the boar''s face causing the massive beast to stumble back several steps. "I''ve already killed two of these things, one of them was without my blades." "He''s going to get himself killed," Xai muttered to himself. The boar squealed before snorting and charging forward at Liang. Xai was about to rush forward to shove his friend out of the way, but instead, Liang just braced himself. As the boar approached Liang grabbed its tusks in his hands and began pushing the boar''s head upwards. Liang slid across the grass for several feet before the boar was finally halted. Liang continued to push the boar''s head upwards, now managing to lift its front legs off the ground. Xai took the opportunity and ran forward, thrusting the tip of his blade into the beast''s neck. The boar squealed and thrashed, prying itself out of Liang''s grip before slamming its head into Xai''s torso. Xai was sent sprawling onto his back. The boar approached the downed cultivator, his blade still hilt deep through the beast''s neck. The boar put its head down and charged forwards at Xai. Xai tried to scramble to his feet. But a chain suddenly wrapped around his arm and flung him to the side, out of the way of the raging boar. Xai finally got to his feet as the chain uncoiled from his arm. From the treeline, Xai caught a glimpse of a white-haired woman walking into the clearing. "Why are you two wasting your time fighting a boar?" Toya asked. She spun her chain at her side, ready to fling it at something if the need arose. "Oh, hey Toya," Liang shouted as he ran up towards the boar and punched it in the nose. "Pick up your damn blades!" Xai shouted. "Pick up your blade?" Liang shouted as he stepped back from a swing up the boar''s tusk. He then quickly stepped forward, grabbed the hilt of Xai''s sword, and pulled it from the boar''s neck before tossing the weapon to its owner. Xai caught his weapon and flicked some of the blood from it into the grass. "That''s not what I said." He muttered. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Xai ran forward again this time leaping into the air and cutting across the beast''s back. He then rolled to the side as he landed when the boar tried to kick him with its hind legs. He took several steps back as the boar looked around itself trying to assess who would be the easiest opponent. Blood matted both its face and hide. One of its eyes seems to have been swollen over by one of Liang''s strikes. "This boar seems very annoying to take down," Xai stated. Liang shrugged as he stepped aside from a swing of the boar''s head. "They aren''t that bad. They''re slow. Also," Liang turned to Toya. "Are you just going to watch?" "I''m waiting." She called back. "For what?" Liang asked as he dodged another blow. Xai stepped aside from another kick of the boar''s hind legs as he swung downward at its hamstring. The blade cut cleanly through the hide of the boar''s leg, cutting seamlessly through its muscle. The boar let out another squeal- cut off by a punch from Liang- as its injured leg fell to a knee. "Like now," Toya shouted as she ran forward. She spun her chain and shot it toward one of Liang''s sabers on the ground. The chain wrapped around the handle of the weapon as she spun the chain again, now with the large blade at its end. She arced the blade up with the chain before bringing it downward like an axe onto the boar''s skull. The beast let out a sound between a squeal and a groan before finally falling limp. Several pieces of paper flashed before Xai. ~~~~ [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] *** [You have 7 unspent stat points] *** [Level 20 reached] [You have 1 skill reward of rank ''F''] [You meet the requirements for 3 skills] [Select one of the following skills to acquire] - Swordsman (F) - Analyze (F) - Focused Strike (F) ~~~~ Xai spread his 7 points to each of his stats, except ''charm''. He still didn''t know why it was so high. As his stats increased, a small tingling sensation raced across his body. His senses seemed slightly sharper. He felt he could move slightly faster; hit harder. It was all very slight, but noticeable. Xai glanced at his two allies as they both stared into thin air, supposedly at their own stat pages. Liang now rested at level 21. While Toya was only at level 14. "Did you not level up from the boar, Toya?" The white-haired woman''s gaze snapped towards Xai. "Hm? No, I got several. Was even granted a skill at level 10." Xai looked back to Toya''s level, double-checking he had read it right. "What level were you at before the boar was killed?" "Just 6." "6?!" Liang shouted. "What did you fight coming up here? A rabbit?" "Monkey actually. Near the cliffs. I threw it off." Xai and Liang looked at each other. Liang just shrugged. "Oh whatever, I''m the highest level of us three anyway. So I''ll lead us now while we are all together." Xai chuckled. "Levels aren''t everything Liang." He gestured his blade to the boar''s corpse. "We just killed a level 25 boar. Plus you''re only a single level above me." Xai stated, putting his sword back in its scabbard. Liang grunted and began picking up his sabers, starting with the one lodged within the boar''s skull. Xai looked at the one slip of paper that he had yet to wave away; his skills. "What skills have you both chosen? In fact, what are your stats?" Xai asked. The three then proceeded to exchange their stats. "How did you manage to obtain 42 strength?" Toya asked, looking incredulously at Liang. "Partly a skill, stat points, and having started with 20," Laing explained. "What skill?" Xai asked, partly hoping it was one he could obtain. "''Strong Man''. For every level, I get 1 point of strength. I also just got another called ''Durable'' I haven''t looked at that though." "I think I may choose ''Acrobat'' then. It gives me 1 dexterity per level." Toya stated waving her hand through the air, presumably swiping her translucent piece of paper from her view. "My options are ''Swordsmanship''- I had that option at level 10- ''Analyze'' and ''Focused Strike''," Xai said. "Swordsmanship sounds useful. What does it do?" Toya responded. Xai was about to respond. But he paused when he realized he never even looked at the description of the skill. After mentally slapping himself for his idiocy he glanced at the slip of paper in his periphery as another roll of script appeared. ~~~~ [Swordmanship (F)] [Description: The skill to wield any and all forms of swords and blades. From the lightest of rapiers to the heaviest of great swords, swordsmanship affects them all. Grants a small bonus to the effectiveness of Strength and Dexterity when wielding a sword, as well as granting basic swordsmanship knowledge] ~~~~ Xai rolled his eyes. Of course, it was more than just knowledge of how to swing a sword. Though, now that he remembered he could he opened the descriptions of the other two skills he could obtain. ~~~~ [Analyze (F)] [Description: Grants basic information about an item within 5 feet of the user. This skill does not affect items of rank ''E'' or above.] *** [Focused Strike (F)] [Description: Grants sight of a single target''s weak point for a short amount of time. The weak spot often changes location due to positioning and movement.] ~~~~ The other two skills weren''t quite as enticing. While ''Focused Strike'' seemed useful, ''Swordmanship'' was more so. Especially due to the fact it was his weapon of choice, and he saw no reason to switch now. Plus, if he needed to, he could choose another of the skills at level 30. As Xai''s ''swordmanship'' skill entered his status he felt a well of knowledge surge into his mind. Much of it he already knew. Just more bits of knowledge he''d been taught being pushed to the front of his mind. But others were new, very slight variations of how he''d been taught to swing a blade. He noticed slight differences in what was being forced into his head, and what he actually did while fighting. His feet being part of an inch out of place. His hips being an inch lower than they needed to be. But most of all, he felt a shift in his physical capabilities as he drew his blade to test out the new fragments of knowledge. He felt lighter; stronger. While Liang and Toya spoke amongst themselves, Xai walked over to a tree with particularly low-hanging branches. Xai took a stance before going through his practiced slashes and stabs. For the most part, the specific attacks weren''t used often in combat, if at all, but existed to make sure his form was proper for any true attack he would make. He aimed his swings at the branches and stabs at the trunk of the tree. Most of the branches were cut cleanly from the tree, only leaving the thicker ones hanging by a few strands of wood. His stabs pierced several inches into the tree, some of the stronger stabs even pierced a full foot into the trunk. Once his practice swings had concluded- and the tree sufficiently stripped of many of its lower branches- Xai returned to his group. Several minutes later, they continued their ascent. *** Higher up, within the dense forests of the mountain, a junior cultivator of the Silver Mist sect trembled at the beast before him. He and four others had pushed ahead as fast as they could. They''d assumed there may have been some form of reward for the first to reach the sect hall. Even so, they still managed to slay quite a few beasts along the way. Many of them had been between levels 8 and 14 when it attacked. They heard its growl first. But as they turned it lunged at the closest to it, ramming its fist completely through their torso. Another of the cultivators ran in to strike it with their saber, but it hardly even pierced the creature''s hide before they too were beaten to a pulp. The rest ran, but the beast was too fast for any of them. The final cultivator- and the fasted of any of the others- now leaned against a tree. A wound on their side bled down their leg and onto the roots of the tree below as their bone stuck from skin. The last thing the cultivator saw was the level of the beast as it brought its fist downward. [Level 61 (F)] Chapter 4: Beast of the Mountain The next hour up the mountain was largely uneventful. A few minutes after they''d wandered from the clearing where the group had fought the boar, they came across another leopard. But they didn''t even get a chance to fight the beast before it ran away. "We haven''t seen anything in a while. You''d think there would be some other sect members who made it up here with us." Toya stated. "They''re probably taking their time nursing their wounds or fighting beasts, or both," Xai stated. "Speaking of, how are your ribs feeling?" He turned to look at Liang. The muscular man shrugged. "Just a bit sore. I thought the first boar I fought had broken a rib. But apart from some pain when I throw a good punch, I''m fine." Suddenly, Toya, the one leading the group, stopped. Liang and Xai stopped as well, looking around for any reason for their halt. "Do you smell that?" She asked, sniffing the air a few times. Liang and Xai looked between each other and shook their heads. Toya sniffed the air again before bolting in a direction through the trees. Liang and Xai exchanged another glance before taking off after her. They ran for a full minute before Toya finally stopped at the edge of a small cliff. Over 30 feet below them sat a clearing surrounded on all but one side by cliffs. From the opening of the clearing, a stream of water coalesced into a pond at the clearing''s center. It would have been a rather pleasing sight had it been only that. Scattered among the grass were half a dozen bloody corpses. Each body donned the same blue and white uniform that all members of the Silver Mist sect wore. Next to the pond, drinking its water whilst chewing the arm of a corpse, lay a large monkey. Its fur was mostly grey but speckled with dried blood. It was muscular under its fur. A thick tail from the back of its waist was wrapped around the torso of an unconscious woman with blood streaming from her head and an arm. Though whether she has truly passed on, none could tell. "Is... that a Ju¨¦?" Xai asked. "Why would one be here?" Toya asked. "A what?" Liang asked. The two others looked at Liang. "It''s a large, intelligent monkey. That generally attacks and eats females. Though it seems this one had less of a preference." Toya explained, looking down at one of the male cultivators who had their chest caved in. "So.... should we try to kill it?" Liang asked. Toya looked at the Ju¨¦ and narrowed her eyes. "I can''t see it''s level from here. On my first assumption, it should be at least as strong as that boar we''d fought." "And at most?" Xai looked to Toya, who just shrugged. "As strong as someone who''s in the first stages of refining Ki.... maybe." "I say we fight it," Liang said, drawing the pair of sabers from his back. "Not up front at least," Xai stated, looking back at the creature as it chewed on the bloody arm in its hand. "We may be able to surprise it if we are careful." "That may work, but we''ll need to lure it closer to the cliffside," Toya explained. "I''m the most dexterous out of all of you, and I can''t jump that far to make a proper attack. And if we were to descend the cliff first, no obstacles would be blocking us. If we were to attack it down there we''d have to move quickly. And preferably have some sort of escape plan." Over the next minute, the group discussed the plan of attack. The plan began with Liang leaping from the cliffside as Xai and Toya circled around to the other side. As Liang ran forward the Ju¨¦ looked up, dropped the arm it was chewing, and let out a roar towards the sect member. The Ju¨¦''s tail whipped around and flung the body of the woman toward Liang, however, he ducked below it before leaping forward and swinging downward with both his blades. The ju¨¦ held up one of its arms to block the strike. The two heavy blades barely managed to draw blood before the ju¨¦ raised its other arm and brought it down like a hammer. Laing barely had enough time to dislodge his blades and leap back as the large fist slammed down into the floor. Liang felt the ground shake beneath his feet as he finally looked at the level of the creature before him. "Ah... shit," Liang said, readying himself to evade another attack. He really hoped the surprise attack sufficiently caught it off guard. On the opposite side of the clearing, Xai and Toya leaped to the bottom of the cliffside and ran towards the Ju¨¦. Toya spun and wrapped her chain around the beast''s tail and began pulling as hard as she could, digging her feet into the grass and keeping herself low to the ground. Xai leaped into the air and raised his blade to bring it down on the now-taught appendage. Suddenly, a flash of information appeared in his mind. It was just a flicker, but he just knew something was pulsing around the ju¨¦. It was loose, and unorganized, with nowhere to center itself, but it still clung to the beast''s form, albeit slightly. Xai''s eyes widened as the info rushed into his head. Regardless, he still swung downwards with all his might at the tail. The blade stuck mostly through the tail but managed to get caught on a piece of muscle. Nonetheless, Xai stepped backward and slid his blade away and downward, sawing through the muscle and cleaving the tail off. The ju¨¦ roared in pain, nearly deafening the people around it. It was at that moment Xai looked up to see the level hanging above the beast''s head. [Level 61 (F)] However, that wasn''t the worst part. His brain was still processing the information it had suddenly gained. While he didn''t know exactly what the energy was, he had a good guess. He looked into the ju¨¦ eyes as it turned to face the man who''d removed its tail. The ju¨¦ has Ki. "Guys run!" Xai spoke and he began to step back. Toya did as she was told immediately, unraveling her chain from the beast''s dismembered tail and beginning to back away. Liang, on the other hand, decided to swing his blades at the ju¨¦''s back. The blades plunged into the beast''s hide, though not as deep as the man had hoped. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The ju¨¦ just growled and reached behind itself, grabbing Liang by the collar of his uniform and throwing him over its shoulder into the pond, leaving the two sabers lodged in its back. It then turned its attention to Xai. He stared up at the beast, and the level hanging above its head. Despite the sharp sword in his hands and the increase in his abilities since he''d ascended the mountain his body still shook as the beast approached. He tried to steady his breathing, but his vision wouldn''t stop looking into the ju¨¦''s eyes. He felt like he had the first time he fought a leopard for the first time. The first time he''d ever ascended the mountain and accidentally diverged from the path. That was three years ago, on his way to offer himself to the Silver Mist sect as a lesser disciple. He''d grown so much since then, toning his body and growing more comfortable with his blade. But now his mind was blank. "Xai, get over here!" Toya shouted. Xai risked a glance behind him to see Toya at the cliff''s edge pulling Liang up it with her chain. The roar of the ju¨¦ turned Xai''s head back to the beast, only to see a large fist coming for him. Xai''s eyes widened as he held his sword up to block the blow, having no time to move. The fist slammed against the flat of the blade, protecting Xai''s body, but the force still sent him hurling backward. He was sent to the other side of the pond, but the ju¨¦ kept the pressure up by running forward and leaping towards the young sect member. Xai dove to the side, dodging the beast as it came down where he''d been standing. He took a breath before stepping forward and thrusting his sword towards the ju¨¦''s shoulder. The blade only went in an inch before stopping. Xai quickly stepped back as the beast swiped the blade away. He then rolled aside as the beast threw another punch; another shallow cut was made across the beast''s arm. Back near the cliff, Toya''s hand finally hoisted Liang to the edge. "You stay here and catch your breath, I''m going to help Xai. And get your weapon''s back." Toya leaped from the cliff and spun the chain on her arm. As she landed she shot the chain towards one of the sabers stuck in the ju¨¦''s back. The chain wrapped around the handle of one of the sabers before Toya pulled the chain and tore the blade from the beast''s back. Toya spun the saber at the end of her chain around her as Xai and the ju¨¦ fought. The ju¨¦''s head turned just in time for a shallow cut to be made across its chest, drawing a thin stream of blood. Xai tried to follow the attack with another slash, but he quickly backed off when the ju¨¦ reared back a fist. Suddenly, Liang''s saber- stuck to the end of Toya''s chain- arcs downward and implanted itself into the back of the beast''s shoulder. The ju¨¦ roared and grabbed the chain before pulling it towards itself. Toya let out a yelp as she was practically flung by the arm towards the beast. The ju¨¦ turned and grabbed Toya''s face as she flew forward before slamming her head-first onto the ground. The ground shook from the force. The ju¨¦ roared at the now limp body of Toya. Xai''s eyes widened, but he quickly calmed (as much as he could given the situation) at the sight of Toya''s level still hanging above her head. She was still alive. "Liang!" Xai shouted, stabbing into the beast''s back to make it face him. "Toya is still alive. I''ll lead the ju¨¦ away. Grab her and run!" He said as the ju¨¦ swung at him. He dodged one blow and blocked another. However, he was sent hurtling backward from the force. Like before, the beast leaped towards Xai. Like before, he rolled away from the descending fists. Behind the ju¨¦, Liang had descended the cliffside to retrieve Toya. ''Good, I''m leading it away.'' Xai thought. Xai took several more steps back. Letting the ju¨¦ leap towards him again and swing. Xai stood at the edge of the one side of the clearing not covered by cliffs. He continued leading the beast backward into the trees. The beast swung its fist again, this time forcing Xai to block the blow; being flung into a tree in the process. Xai quickly ducked as the beast slammed a fist into the trunk behind him. The Junior followed the attack up by making a small cut on the ju¨¦''s knee before rolling to the side and backing away further. The cycle of backing away, dodging, making an attack during openings, and occasionally blocking an attack, continued for several more minutes. As time passed, Xai felt his breath go heavy. He barely managed to dodge an attack, stumble, and begin to bring his sword up to block. This time, however, he was a fraction of a second too slow, and the blow connected with his chest. Xai heard a faint crack as he was sent sprawling across the ground tens of feet away. Xai pulled himself from the ground, clutching his chest and heaving for breath. With every inhale a pulse of pain shot through his body. He took a few more steps back, feeling the sun on his back. Xai glanced behind himself to see a large cliff nearly 30 feet from him, leading down several stories into a wide canopy of trees. Looking back at the beast as it approached, Xai had an idea. An insane idea- but an idea nonetheless- of how to kill the beast. Xai began to back towards the cliff''s edge. He kept an eye on the ju¨¦ as it crept forward. As he expected, it rushed towards him with a roar. Xai took another step back to dodge the punch, his foot on the very edge of the cliffside. The ju¨¦ attacked again. But this time Xai stepped towards and around the beast before stabbing his blade into the beast''s back and pushing forward as hard as he could. Despite the blade only reaching through an inch of the ju¨¦''s hide, the sudden burst of pain and force caused the beast to lurch forward a step. Its foot slipped on the edge of the cliffside as it began to fall. Xai tried to push off the creature as it began to fall over the cliffside but the beast''s long arms grabbed his pant leg. Before Xai knew it he too fell through the air alongside the beast. *** Toya woke up with the worst headache she''d ever felt. With every beat of her heart, her head throbbed. She tried to reach a hand up to massage her head, but she noticed she couldn''t. Then she noticed she couldn''t feel the ground beneath her. Then she noticed that she was moving. Toya finally opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred at the edges, and the orange light in the sky seemed many times brighter than it should have been. She was met with the back of Liang''s bald head. She tried moving her arms again, but they were tied at her sides, as were her legs. She was tied to Liang''s back with her chain. The man carried her like a sack. "Oh, you''re finally awake." Toya tried to speak but the slight bobbing of Liang''s steps just made her head spin. "C-can... stop." She muttered finally. Liang stopped to let Toya collect her thoughts. She looked around at the trees as the memories of before she''d been knocked unconscious flooded into her mind. "Where is..." But so did nausea. "To the side. To the side." Liang said before Toya promptly spilled her guts on the ground beside them. Liang groaned slightly as he tried to fling off a few stray chunks that had landed on his pant leg. Toya took a few breaths before speaking again. "Where is Xai?" Liang continued walking, this time trying to not move his body as much for the sake of his passenger. "He told us to keep going." Toya''s eyes widened as she tried to move from her chains again. "What do you mean?" "Against the fight with the ju¨¦, once you''d been knocked unconscious, he told me to grab you and run. So that''s what I did." Liang spoke. His voice was quiet, especially for someone who was normally so loud. "Are you fucking insane?" Toya shouted, only for a wave of pain in her head to calm her. "I trust him." "You think he can kill that ju¨¦ alone?" Several more seconds passed. Toya looked up to the deep orange sky. The sun behind her was beginning to set beyond the horizon. Another hour and the sky would be plunged into night. "How long have I been unconscious?" "A few hours I think. I had to rest a moment once we''d gotten a fair distance away from the beast. I''m sure most of the other junior disciples have reached the summit by now." Liang''s mind flashed back to the corpses near the pond. "The ones who survived anyway." "Do you think Xai survived?" Toya asked. "He''s a skilled fighter." "That doesn''t answer my question. Plus, the fact he hasn''t met up with us by now likely means he died." "Don''t say that," Liang spoke quietly. "You don''t know that. He may not have killed the ju¨¦ but I know he didn''t die to it." "How?" Liang bit his lip as he kept walking. "How, do you know?" Toya asked again. "I just know!" He finally shouted. The sudden noise made Toya''s head pulse again with pain, be she held down the urge to scream. "No, you don''t." She spoke, a slight slur to her voice as the pain in her head began to dull. "You just don''t want to face the facts. Xai''s dead." At that, Toya felt the chains holding her to Liang''s back suddenly loosen, dropping her to the floor. Toya blinked away the blurriness from her eyes as she looked up to Liang, his face contorted in anger. "You''re right. I don''t know. But guess what? He is the one who told me to take you and run. Do you think I wouldn''t have wanted to stay until I drew my last breath fighting that thing with him? He could have left you there to die. He could have told me to just run. But he told me to take you with me." Liang knelt down to get closer to Toya, his face just a bit softer than it was a moment before. "For as nervous as he acts, when things get deadly Xai knows what he''s doing. He may not be the strongest of us," he looked at his own form. "And he may not be the quickest." He looked Toya in her crimson eyes. "But I trust him. Even if he did get killed by that ju¨¦, he allowed us to live." Liang rose to his feet and turned away. "You best believe, that once we reach the summit, and I get stronger, I am going to beat that ju¨¦ to death with my own two hands." Chapter 5: Reaching the Summit Xai lay sprawled on his back at the base of a tree. One of his arms was bent at a strange angle. And his shoulder lay an inch out of its socket. He also felt a stream of blood spilling over half of his face. A few seconds passed, and he expected his vision to be consumed with translucent slips of paper, but all he saw was the leaves rustling above him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the ju¨¦. He rose from the ground. One of its arm bones stuck from its skin. A piece of wood stuck into one of its eye sockets and a large gash lay across one of its legs. The beast turned to Xai''s form before letting out a low growl. Xai tried to raise himself up but a wave of pain and nausea washed over his body as he tried to move his head. Rather than taking its chance to end the junior''s life, the ju¨¦ limped deeper into the forest, leaving Xai alone. Several minutes passed as Xai caught his breath, hoping the pain across his body would subside. He began to wonder how he could make it out of this predicament. How he could kill the ju¨¦? How he could make it to the Silver Sect Hall by sunset? How he could even survive until nightfall? Another wave of nausea washed over him as a surge of information began to cloud his mind. Information on how to properly breathe and feel something around him. To pull it into himself and harness it. They were all vague instructions, but instructions nonetheless. ''It can''t be teaching me this, can it?'' Xai did as the new information told him. He tried to focus his breathing as best he could, feeling something he couldn''t see around him. Shutting off all his other senses. He felt the sun on his body, the chill of the dirt beneath him. The gentle tingle of something unseen trying to enter through his skin but finding no entrance. He had to let it in. He didn''t know how much time had passed. It could have been several hours, or it could have been 10 minutes. Regardless, Xai felt his body begin to warm as a strange density welled just beneath his chest. Almost like he had eaten a small ball of metal, but not quite at his stomach. He only opened his eyes when he heard the faint ping in his inner ear as a scroll unfurled itself above his face. ~~~~ [Sufficient amount of Ki has been absorbed to create a dantian] [Skill ''Ki Foundation (F)'' has been gained] [Skill ''Ki Reinforcement (F)'' has been gained] *** [Vitality has increased by 10] [Endurance has increased by 10] [Strength has increased by 10] [Dexterity has increased by 10] [Intelligence has increased by 10] [Willpower has increased by 10] [Perception has increased by 10] [Charm has increased by 10] ~~~~ Xai''s eyes widened as his eyes scanned over the script. He had obtained Ki. The one thing that can accelerate the warriors of the realm to greater heights than the system could allow. Beneath his chest, he felt the faint denseness of his dantian- the non-physical store of his Ki. Just as the heart pumped blood through the body, the dantian moved Ki within it throughout the body as needed. The amount he had was minuscule, seemingly just enough to have manifested his dantian to begin with. More knowledge flooded into his mind, this time more clearly. An innate knowledge of how to coat his body and equipment in Ki. While the technique was basic, and almost useless due to the immense lack of control and amount of Ki within his dantian, it was at least something. With the small essence of Ki flowing through his body, the pain across his body lessened. However, it didn''t stop his shoulder from being dislocated or his arm being broken. But it was enough for Xai to lift himself to sit against a tree. With his relatively un-injured arm, he grabbed his other arm and- with a breath- shoved his shoulder back in place. Xai was about to scream as pain rocketed from his arm, but he bit his tongue, letting out a grunt instead. Next, Xai looked at his arm. "Fuck me..." he muttered as he grabbed his arm to push it back into place. Over the most painful minute that Xai has ever felt, he repositioned his arm to the point of functionality. While he probably had a small break in his arm somewhere, it was at least usable for light activity. Luckily, it wasn''t his dominant arm. Regardless, he wouldn''t be blocking any more blows from the ju¨¦. At that thought, Xai looked around him. "Fuck." His sword was still lodged in the ju¨¦''s back. With a sigh and a substantial amount of willpower, he listed himself to his feet. Nausea surged through his head. He took two steps before needing to hold himself against a tree as he wretched up that morning''s breakfast onto the dirt. Over the next several minutes, he regained his ability to walk as he followed the direction the ju¨¦ had gone. Another hour passed, and the sky was beginning to turn a faint hue of orange. Finally, he came across the beast. It still had the three blades sticking from it. Its arm was still bent at an odd angle. When Xai came upon it, it was sitting on the ground trying to forcefully shove the bone back into its leg. Xai moved as silently as he could, keeping a wide birth around the ju¨¦ as to not be spotted. Now to the back of the beast, Xai spotted his blade loosely sticking from the creature''s back. The side of the blade was shipped off, likely due to a combination of him blocking so many powerful attacks and falling down a cliff. Xai''s body was still shrouded in a veil of pain, but he doubted he was as injured as the ju¨¦ was, given a bone was sticking from its leg. Xai shook away the pain as best he could before breaking into a sprint towards the ju¨¦. He coated his legs with a shallow well of Ki, reinforcing the muscles and increasing the power of his legs. The mix of his increased strength, dexterity, and Ki shot him forward faster than he ever had before. He quickly zipped passed the ju¨¦, prying free his blade as he did. The ju¨¦ winced as the blade was pulled free and stood. As he skidded to a half and turned to the ju¨¦, he moved the Ki from his legs to create a loose coating over his weapon; a thin veil of light blue mist that was nearly completely transparent. The beast stood from where it had been, noticeably putting its weight on its uninjured leg. The beast roared at Xai, a translucent red light surrounding its body. The ju¨¦ swung as Xai got close, however, the cultivator leaped over the beast and cut across the beast''s shoulder. The Ki-reinforced blade cut into the ju¨¦''s shoulder with ease; cutting cleanly through the loose layer of red Ki. The ju¨¦ turned and swung behind it as Xai landed, however he ducked to the ground and landed a cut across the ju¨¦''s arm. Xai then flipped backward, dodging another slam. As he landed Xai rushed forward again, this time landing a stab on the beast''s chest that penetrated several inches. He then quickly backed away as another swing aimed at his head. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Xai stayed back to catch his breath. With a newfound adrenaline coursing through his body, the pain that had held him back had mostly faded though he doubted it would last much longer. The ju¨¦ leaped forward in one final attack, its body covered in vibrant red Ki. Xai steadied his breathing before reinforcing his legs with half his well of Ki and his sword with the other half. He leaped into the air to meet the ju¨¦. The creature reared back a hand. As it brought it forward, Xai twisted his body in the air and spun his blade toward the creature''s neck. As Xai fell to the ground, the Ki surrounding him vanishing into the atmosphere, he looked back to see the now headless corpse of the ju¨¦. A moment later, dozens of slips of paper clouded his vision. ~~~~ [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] [Level Up] *** [You have 20 unspent stat points] *** [Level 30 Reached] [You have 1 skill reward of rank ''F''] [You meet the requirements for 8 skills] [Select one of the following skills to acquire] - Analyze (F) - Focused Strike (F) - Adrenaline Rush (F) - Ki Control (F) - Strong Man (F) - Acrobat (F) - Perceptive (F) - Durable (F) *** [Level 40 Reached] [You have 1 skill reward of rank ''F''] [You meet the requirements for 8 skills] [Select one of the following skills to acquire] - Analyze (F) - Focused Strike (F) - Adrenaline Rush (F) - Ki Control (F) - Strong Man (F) - Acrobat (F) - Perceptive (F) - Durable (F) ~~~~ Xai waved away most of the floating parchment as pain began to grow across his body. His Ki reserves had been reduced to 0 from the fight. While it would replenish itself over the next few hours, he wouldn''t be able to use it for the rest of his ascent. Xai began to walk towards the closest path up the mountain he could think of. Technically there was the cliff he''d fallen down previously, but with an injured arm, he didn''t want to risk it. While he walked, he looked over the new skill options. He passed over ''Analyze'' and ''Focus Strike'' as he''d already read those before. ~~~~ [Adrenaline Rush (F)] [Description: You feel a surge of power when in a desperate situation. While critically injured you can enter a state of adrenaline rush, temporarily negating pain and fatigue across your body while giving a slight increase to stats. Once this skill ends, your stats will be reduced until you are healed.] *** [Ki Control (F)] [Description: Any wielder of Ki, even beasts, can surround themselves with Ki to defend from attacks or increase their striking power. But it takes a certain technique to refine the control over the Ki within oneself. Grants base knowledge over how to control and alter the flow of Ki throughout one''s body.] *** [Strong Man (F)] [Description: Through means of immense force, you have pushed your body beyond its normal limits. Grants 1 point of Strength per level.] *** [Acrobat (F)] [Description: Through means of agile movement, you have pushed your body beyond its normal limits. Grants 1 point of Dexterity per level.] *** [Perceptive (F)] [Description: Through means of sharpened awareness, you have pushed your body beyond its normal limits. Grants 1 point of Perception per level.] *** [Durable (F)] [Description: Through means of enduring injury, you have pushed your body beyond its normal limits. Grants 1 point of Vitality per level.] ~~~~ He waved away ''adrenaline rush''. While useful, he didn''t want to rely on a skill that only worked when he was in critical condition. ''Ki Control'' seemed good. While it would prove useful in the long run, he didn''t need it at the moment. His Ki reserves were so low he wouldn''t get any use out of it before he reached the sect hall. Finally, there were the real choices. The ones that gave him a stat at every level. These would help far greater than any of the other skills he was given. But the real question was which of the two would he choose. He could waive away ''perceptive'' for now. He hadn''t needed perception all that much. ''Durable'' was a top runner on the two he would pick, followed by ''Acrobat''. While extra strength was useful, he could always take the skill later. Ultimately, he chose ''Durable'' and ''Acrobat''. The next question was what to do with his 20 extra stat points. A jolt of pain jolted through his body as he stepped slightly wrong, cast his mind from the thought of his stats. He would just deal with them later. His body hurt. Xai looked up at the orange sky above. It was going to be a long trek to the top. Half an hour of walking later, his body didn''t feel any less sore. Despite his vitality nearly tripling since he got the system, it didn''t seem to have too much impact on his body''s natural regeneration. At least not yet. He was sure the difference would be more noticeable once it got beyond 50 or so. Xai looked down at the sword in his hand. The side of the blade was still chipped. If he was forced to block another strong attack, as he had against the ju¨¦, it would likely break, even if he tried to reinforce it with his meager amount of Ki. He thought of resting, but the sun beginning to dip below the horizon told him otherwise. He had already wasted enough time awakening his Ki. Then again, was it considered much of a ''waste'' if it ultimately saved his life? He just waived the thought for now. He doubted he would face anything on the level of the ju¨¦ as he continued up the mountain, at the very least nothing else that could use Ki. Most beasts weren''t able to harness Ki, the ju¨¦ had just been an unfortunate occurrence. Xai suddenly stopped once the trees began to open up to a small waterfall. It was only about 20 feet high and came down to a crystal clear stream that continued down the mountain. The cultivator knelt near the stream and took a sip of the water. Then another. Then another. He hadn''t realized how thirsty he''d been until then. As he finally got his full, his stomach rumbled. Turns out, he was also hungry. Xai sighed before getting to his feet. He was sure some form of meal and celebration was happening within the sect hall. But, he still had some climbing to do. *** At the summit of the mountain rested the Silver Mist sect hall. Within its central tower lay a celebration for the many junior disciples who had made it up the mountain. A few stray members were still making their way in despite the time limit nearly being over. Most were treated for whatever injuries they had upon entry. The ones who made it to the summit the earliest were often the least injured, but either still level 1 or hardly above level 10. While not taking away from their accomplishments, it was an unspoken contest amongst the senior members of the sect as to who would arrive with the highest level. Until then, the highest anyone had seen was 27. On the second story of the central building, overlooking the main courtyard of the sect was its master, Youshan Wu. Next to him was one of the senior disciples, Qin Jie. Despite having the title of ''senior'' disciple, unlike most of his peers, he was merely in his mid-30s. Qin''s skin was smooth and shined in the distant sunlight. His high stage of cultivation had refined his body, flushing it of impurities, giving him a look any woman would faint at the sight of. "How many more are left to arrive?" Youshan asked. He sat at a small circular table drinking a small bottle of sake as he watched the sunset. "9 Master Wu." Qin''s words were soft. A particularly strong breeze could have carried his words away if it wished. "And we started with over 50." Youshan sighed, taking another sip from his drink. "If I had to guess, all but a few of those yet to arrive were killed on the way up here. Who were our most recent arrivals?" "Liang Warshai, level 21. And Toya Katrina, level 14. They arrived slightly over half an hour ago. Toya was sent to the medical wing. Liang, last I checked, went to rest in his quarters." Qin stated. Youshan raised a brow. "Isn''t there a third part of their group? Or am I misremembering?" Qin shook his head. "Xai Faung has not arrived yet." His gaze was turned to the ever-darkening sky. "Should I conclude the test?" Youshan held up a hand. "Not yet, senior Jie. I believe there is one more arriving." Qin looked to his master before following his gaze to the courtyard near the entrance of the sect buildings. Walking- or rather, stumbling- towards the central building, was a young man in the sect''s blue and white robes. His body and clothes were flecked with dried blood, and a nearly broken sword was held in his hand. Qin''s brow rose in surprise as he read the boy''s level: [Level: 40 (F)]. However, that wasn''t the most surprising part. Within his chest, both Qin and Youshan saw the swirling mass of Ki within his dantian. It flowed aimlessly around his body, only loosely condensed on the point. It lacked control as well as abundance, but it was undeniable that it was still there. "It''s Xai Faung," Youshan stated arising from his chair. In but a moment his body turned to mist that quickly shot towards Xai, only to materialize into the sect master once again, followed shortly by Qin. The junior looked between the two sect members, his eyes looked slightly glazed over, as if he wasn''t fully processing what was in front of him. "Good, you''ve made it just in time Xai Faung," Youshan stated with a smile. "I am impressed you excelled so much during the test. Your friends are..." he stopped abruptly when Xai tried to take a step forward and promptly collapsed onto the tiled ground beneath them. Youshan pursed his lips. "Senior Qin, take him to the medical facility, and tell Liang his friend has arrived." Qin hoisted the junior disciple to his feet and began carrying his body like a sack of spuds. He then picked up the sword from the ground and seamlessly slid it into the scabbard on Xai''s waste. As he began to walk away, Youshan spoke again. "And tell the other seniors that the level record has been surpassed from last year''s performances." Chapter 6: The Silver Mist Sect Xai awoke in a bed surrounded by shoji screens- thin foldable panels used for privacy. On a chair nearby the bed sat Liang, his head dropped downward. A faint snore told Xai he was asleep. Xai had been changed into more common clothes whilst he was unconscious. His body had also been cleaned somewhat. While he could still smell he needed a nice bath, he was no longer caked in dirt and dried blood. On a stand next to the bed was a small plate of various fruits as well as a cup of water and a small container of healing ointment. The pain across his body had mostly subsided apart from a slight headache and a strange sensation in his arm that now rested in a cloth sling. Through the window on the wall behind him Xai saw the early morning light flood into the room. In the distance he could hear the random bustle of disciples wandering about the sect grounds. Several minutes passed as Xai just snacked on the berries and water on the stand next to him. At one point he threw a particularly plump grape at Liang''s sleeping head, hoping to wake him up. But it did nothing but make him shift slightly in his chair. Eventually however, a woman came into the ''room'', moving aside one of the foldable screens. She wore a gown with the sect colors across them, however the gown wasn''t made for any form of warrior, instead that of a doctor. Despite this, Xai''s eyes still widened at the level hovering a few inches above her head. [Level: 5 (E)] The woman held a tray full of food in her hands, setting it on the stand next to the bed. It was only then she actually spoke. "Good to see you''re awake. Your body has been healing rather well." Her voice was soft and quiet. "Where''s Toya?" Xai spoke quietly. It felt unnecessary to raise his voice in such a relatively quiet space. "The white haired girl? She''s resting within the building. She''s conscious; recovering well. She should be free to leave by the end of the week. The girl had quite the injury on her skull." The doctor stated. "As for yourself," she continued, briefly scanning Xai up and down. He eyes began to glow a soft blue, imbued with the smallest amount of Ki. "You should be in fighting shape by tomorrow. If you''re feeling alright you should be able to walk about the sect as you see fit. Also, once you''re free to do so, see about talking to master Youshan. He seems rather interested in what happened during your ascent up the mountain." Xai''s eyes widened. The sect master wanted to speak with him? He vaguely remembered master Youshan appearing before him as he arrived. He had told him something, but it was foggy. Not long after his vision had went black, and he woke up here. Xai''s eyes turned to the snoring form of Liang. "And him?" The doctor looked to the sleeping man before reaching out a hand to his forehead. One of the doctor''s fingers began to pulse with a small, unfocused bit of Ki, before she flicked a finger into Liang''s forhead. A slapping sound echoed amongst the folding walls. Liang''s eyes shot open as his body shuttered from the sudden pain. He cursed and held his head. He was about to shout at the woman before him. However his eyes were drawn to the bed, then to Xai. Liang shot from his seat and practically jumped onto Xai and threw his arms around him. "By the heavens, you''re alive." Xai groaned as Liang''s are practically crushed his chest. However, it only lasted a few seconds before Liang backed away. "Toya and... Toya thought you died." He corrected. "She yelled at me while we were climbing to the mountain." He scratched the back of his neck. "She''ll be happy to know you''re awake. We were worried about you, even though the physicians said you''d be fine." "Maybe take the word of the people who know what they''re doing." The doctor said, still standing behind Liang. Xai cracked a smile as he tossed the covers off himself and stood from the bed. His legs ached due to lack of movement, but the matter should resolve itself soon. "That sounds like a wonderful idea." He chuckled. He looked to the doctor. "Are we free to visit Toya." The doctor nodded and stepped aside, opening the path for them to leave. "Assuming she wants to be visited of course." *** "What the fuck were you thinking? We thought you died!" Toya shouted as soon as she saw Xai walk through the folding barriers alongside Liang. "That''s what I said." Liang said. "I nearly did." Xai''s hand trailed up to lightly pick at his hair. "I broke an arm by falling off a cliff and nearly broke my sword." Toya gritted her teeth. Bandages were wrapped around the top of her head, a bruise lay across the base of her nape to wrap around one of her shoulders. "I''m glad you''re ok." Her eyes drifted up to above Xai''s head. "Level 40, huh? I assume you managed to kill the jo¨¦." Xai nodded. "How?" She raised a brow. Xai picked a single thread of his hair. "One of the skills I have. It lent me knowledge on how to construct my dantian... kind of." This time, both Toya and Liang''s eyes widened. "You constructed your dantian?" Liang shouted, shaking Xai by the shoulders. "I just.... felt the Ki around me and absorbed it into myself. It took around an hour to properly hold it though. I can''t really say any specifics. I just... knew how to." Xai explained. "What skill was it?" Toya asked. "It was called ''Intuition''. Neither of you got it as an option?" Xai asked. The other two shook their heads. "It gives me random bursts of knowledge when I need it. The information is short and vague. But so far it hasn''t been too hard to piece together. It''s how I knew the jo¨¦ had Ki. And how I knew how to absorb it." "Intuition." Toya echoed. "I wonder if any of the other disciples have that skill." "Also," Xai stated. "The doctor told me Master Youshan wanted to speak with me. Probably due to the fact I arrived here with Ki. But I''m not sure." "Lucky." Liang grumbled. "But I''m happy for you." He smiled to Xai. "Just know that once I get Ki, we''re going to fight. I want to see which of us is stronger. Xai cracked a smile. "If it makes you feel any better," he turned to exit the foldable barrier. "In terms of pure strength, you''re probably equal to me even if I used Ki." He said before disappearing behind the barriers. Now, he just had to talk to Master Youshan. *** Xai could feel dozens of eyes on him as he walked to the central building of the Silver Mist sect. He could feel his face heating up as he got closer to the tower in edge of the courtyard; his hand drifting towards his hair once again. The tower was similar to the building Xai had been in during the ascension ceremony in Dantang, but half as tall, boasting only three stories. However, it didn''t take away from its grandeur. Xai still remembered the day he''d first set foot on the sect. It was like entering a new world. It was strange; mystical. Xai kept his eyes from staring at other sect members as he walked. But it was difficult keeping his eyes from wandering. Several sect members in varying levels of E rank kept eyeing him and whispering amongst themselves. Some of the higher ranking members he couldn''t read at all, their levels just displaying as question marks. Entering the central building he was faced with an ocean of blue and silver decor. From the carpet, to the white tiles, to the furniture. All washed in the sect''s colors. Amongst the common room, more members of the Silver Mist Sect spent the few hours a day of free time they were given lounging about. The eyes followed him as he walked up a set of stairs to the second floor. The smell of parchment hit his nose as he crested the top of the stairwell into a small library. While the sect did have a dedicated library many times larger than this one in a separate building, the books within the tower were primarily of finer art. Tales of heroes, history, culture, and a variety of other topics Xai had never committed to looking through fully. The true library held scriptures detailing nearly every technique and art the Silver Mist sect taught as well as hundreds of other common techniques used widely among all of the sects. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Much fewer members were scattered about this floor. And the best part: not a single eye was batted in Xai''s direction. The third floor, however was much more sparse. Unlike the two floors below it, the third floor was scattered into several rooms, each the workplace of the of the sect''s ministers. While Youshan was the leader of the Silver Mist Sect as a whole, even someone as great as himself could not manage a sect in his own, hence, ministers took positions in managing a specific branch of the sect. From its wealth, to its structure, to who was deemed worthy to enter the sect entirely. While Master Youshan could veto or alter any of these himself, he hardly ever bothered to. Two older disciples stood guard at the furthest door from the staircase. Each one''s level showing nothing but query. A pair of swords rested on their hips. "Xai Faung," one of the men spoke as he approached. "Master Youshan has been waiting." The senior stated, bowing to Xai as he opened the door. Xai''s face reddened as he entered the room. The senior bowed to him. If anything it should be the opposite. Though he knew the treatment wouldn''t last. The sect leader''s office was rather simplistic. A single desk carved of nearly white wood sat at the center of the room. Several rolls of parchment and pens. On the walls hung several tapestries of various landmarks throughout Azuma. Against one of the walls was a smaller table where a tea kettle was being kept warm above a small stone plate with a radiant orange stone within. Master Youshan stood, his back turned, pouring a cup of tea for himself. "I suppose it will be tea for two then." The master told himself just as the door shut behind Xai. He grabbed a second cup and poured tea into it. Xai stood for a full second, still aghast at being within Master Youshan''s office. He finally came to his senses and bowed to his superior. "You requested I come visit, master." Xai stated in as polite a tone as he could manage with his face burning so hot. The elder turned and walked to his desk, holding two cups of green tea, setting one near his chair and the other towards Xai. He took a seat as he spoke. "There is no need for bowing young man. This is a rather informal meeting. I am just curious about a few things that happened during your ascent here last night. Please, sit." Master Youshan waved a hand behind him. In an instant strands of mist materialized in the air and coalesced in front of Xai. They quickly dispersed as quick as it had appeared, leaving a rather comfy looking chair in its wake. Xai took a seat, and reached to grab the cup of tea. "Oh, and you won''t need the sling. Your injury is healed." Youshan stated, his eyes glowing every faintly. Xai nearly jumped at his sudden words as he looked at his arm in the makeshift sling. He hadn''t tried to move it since he awoke out of instict of thinking the wound needed to heal. Xai took of the brace and tested the movement of his arm, it seemed perfectly fine. "So how did you stumble upon manifesting your dantian on that mountain in a single night? To my knowledge you were unaware of the special process in properly forming one before the test. Though that being said, even now your dantian is rather crude." Xai''s hand slipped to his hair. "A skill, master. ''Intuition''. It grants me vague bursts of knowledge when I''m in need of it. I''m not specifically sure how it works. But so far it''s only actived twice. And I''ve needed to use a bit of my own reasoning to find out what it even meant." Xai''s hand slipped explained. "How did you come about this skill?" Youshan asked, taking a sip of his tea. "By reaching level 10?" Xai spoke, knitting his brows together. Were there other ways to gain skills? Then again, he did get his two Ki-based skills without reaching any form of level threshold. Youshan raised a brow. "That is all, truly?" "Of course master." Xai spoke almost immediately. Youshan nodded, taking another sip of tea. "What about your level? What did you fight on the mountain? You don''t take me as the type to go on a rampage throughout the mountain. Especially without your allies." "There was a jo¨¦ about halfway up the mountain." Youshan raised a brow. "Those womanizing monkeys? I hardly believe that would be an issue. Most hardly surpass level 10." Xai shook his head. "This one was large, more similar to a massive ape than a monkey. It was level 61." The elder''s brow raised. "I''m impressed you were able to best it." "It also had Ki." Youshan leaned forward. "Yet you still managed to slay it?" Xai picked a strand of hair from his head. "It was injured to begin with when we saw it." He took the cup of tea before him and took a drink, wincing slightly at how hot it was. "And I managed to drop it off a cliff." Youshan snorted a laugh. "That is certainly one way to take out a beast. Though it is strange. Several other disciples had scoured the mountain a week before the test. There was no beast beyond level 30 within it. I''m curious how that one managed to slip by." The elder shrugged. "I''ll have them make another search. But I asked for your audience for more then to just ask what happened on the mountain. Under normal circumstances, the next few weeks after the first test, the junior dispels'' training would be dedicated to manifesting their dantian. However," he gestured to Xai''s chest. "You have already done so. That being said, it does need to be refined. The amount of Ki you possess is minuscule, and your control is minimal. The next week of your training will be dedicated to expanding the well of Ki within you as well as refining your control over it. One of the senior disciples will oversee your training." Xai couldn''t keep a smile from spreading across his face. He was getting personal training to further harness his Ki. From a senior disciple no less; the second highest within the sects. Each sect''s heirarchy was split into four groups. The lowest were the junior disciples, people like Xai, Liang, and Toya. After the first year of joining a sect, they were granted the pleasure of touching the ascension stone and becoming part of the system. Next is an outer disciple, often a junior who has recently ranked up to E-rank, though there were a few exceptions. Then there were inner disciples, most of which were around D-rank or even C. Finally, senior disciples were the highest rank other than the sect master themselves. Often times they were around B-rank. "Your training begins tomorrow morning." Youshan stated before giving Xai a gesture to leave. The junior disciple bowed and began towards the door. "And one last thing," Youshan noted. "You sword has been repaired, it rests within your quarters." *** The quarters of the sect were separated among three buildings. One for the junior, middle, and senior disciples. Each building consisted of a common room on the first floor, and various rooms on the second. As Xai walked into his room- ignoring the eyes on him as he walked through the common room- he finally felt like he could breathe. As Youshan had said, his sword rested in its scabbard on his bed. Over the next hour Xai settled back into his quarters. Then a thought struck him. He was level 40. He had unspent stat points. Xai opened his stat window as he contemplated what to put points into. ~~~~ [Name: Xai Faung] [Level: 40 (F)] [20 Stat points available] [Vitality: 32] [Endurance: 30] [Strength: 26] [Dexterity: 32] [Intelligence: 23] [Willpower: 16] [Perception: 21] [Charm: 28] [Skills: Intuition (F), Swordsmanship (F), Ki Foundation (F), Ki Reinforcement (F), Durable (F), Acrobat (F)] ~~~~ Xai thought briefly of increasing his ''Willpower'' or ''Perception''. After all, he had skills that increased his vitality and dexterity with each level. And he could increase his strength through his Ki. His endurance seemed fine as it was, so far he hadn''t had an issue with it unless he was fighting for several minutes straight, like against the jo¨¦. As for charm, he still had no idea what that even did. Then intelligence caught his eye. All his mental stats were rather low. Ultimately, Xai decided to put his points into Intelligence, Willpower, and Perception; evening them out to 30, 20, and 30 respectively. As the scroll displaying his stats vanished, his head became consumed with a fuzzy feeling. As of cotton was being shoved into his head. However, as quick as the feeling came, it soon vanished. Xai blinked a few times and looked around his quarters. At the small bookshelf near a wall. At the door leading to the bathroom. At an empty desk near his bed. The world seemed... cleaner? He couldn''t quite tell at a glance but he could see things in greater detail. He realized a small chip of wood on his desk. A fly crawling on the side of his shelf. He could even barly feel the vibration of footsteps beyond the room. Then he felt something within his chest. The swirling uncontrolled Ki within his dantian. After so much time his dantian had naturally filled itself. He hadn''t actually tried manipulating his Ki since his fight with the jo¨¦. Xai grabbed his blade from next to him on the bed and unsheathed it. He focused for a moment on the Ki flowing through his body, drawing it to his blade. His blade gradually became coated in a thin layer of translucent blue mist. Xai focused on trying to condense the Ki on the blade, to specifically coat the edges, however, no matter how much he tried to alter the shape of the Ki, it did nothing but altered the direction the slivers of mist-Ki flowed off the blade. He sheathed his blade and stood from his bed, now concentrating on spreading his Ki across the surface of his entire body. However, as the Ki protruded from his dantian, it hardly reached beyond his shoulders and hips before becoming spread too thin. Instead he focused on drawing his Ki to one of his limbs. First his left arm, then his right. Then his legs. The flowing strands of mist coated each of his limbs as he willed it, but it didn''t seem like his current reserves could cover anymore then any one of his limbs at a time. Then he noticed something else. Something he had done subconsciously during his fight on the mountain. He could manifest his Ki either into his muscle and bones, or coated over his form like a second skin. If he held it within himself, his strength and speed were increased; over his skin, it increased his durability. However, he did notice a flaw with off of this, not just in his meager amount of Ki, but his lack of mobility in shifting his Ki from one place of his body to another. It took several seconds to shift his Ki from one arm to the other, and several more to move it from his arm to coat his blade. Cultivators more experienced in Ki control could shift their Ki across their body on fractions of a second, as well as coating several parts of their body with Ki at once, each coat being far denser then what Xai was able to do. Xai sat back on his bed, crossing his legs. While he would undergo training to refine his Ki the next morning, he wasn''t just going to waste he day doing nothing. He wasn''t going to grow his Ki reserves as much as he could before nightfall. He could worry about control during actual training. A decision made, Xai controlled his breathing and drew upon the knowledge forced upon him during his ascent. He felt the ambient strands of Ki around him- most of which were residue from him testing his own abilities- and began to draw it into himself. While his dantian was full- pushing most of the Ki he tried to absorb away- fractions of it stayed, expanding his reserves slightly. It would take several hours to increase his reserves by even half, but fortunately, he had nothing but time. Chapter 7: Ki Training Xai had breakfast with Liang early the next morning. Where he then further explained what each had done while separated on the mountain; also coming to the realization that Liang''s sabers had been left with the ju¨¦. Much to Liang''s annoyance. Now, he stood at the entrance to the training area. It was split into three sections. The first was a large training yard where several sect members- led by one of the seniors- practiced basic training, primarily to hammer in muscle memory and increase endurance. Another was a large building where the sparing mats were as well as a myriad of training weaponry. The last section was a building Xai had never personally been in. It was a small building that, from the outside looking in, appeared to be a large storage shed. In reality it was a location used for cultivation within private rooms. He wasn''t sure of the specific contents of the building, but he was sure it housed all manor of pills and equipment to aid in the process. As Xai stood staring at the tens of disciples honing their martial arts within the training yard, a sudden realization struck him. He didn''t quite know where to go. Nor who to meet. At a quick glance there was no one who seemed to be waiting on anyone. Xai''s face heated as he just stood at the entrance as a few other disciples walked by, one of them giving him a confused look. He felt his hand rise to his hair, but he stopped himself. He was told he would be training his Ki. There was only one feasible option to go. He walked towards the deceptive storage shed. As he entered, the wooden exterior gave way to carved stone; a hallway of over a dozen heavy stone doors lay before him. Each was guarded by a disciple with question marks hovering an inch above their heads. Their gazes quickly shifted to Xai as the door closed behind him. The junior disciple suddenly felt small as his eyes scanned over those of his seniors. Suddenly their eyes drifted above him, and they all snapped their heads back at attention. Before Xai could turn his head to look behind him, a hand landed roughly on his shoulder. Suddenly, his body felt like it was twice as heavy. "You''re late, Mr. Faung." A smooth voice spoke just behind the young cultivator. Xai''s face flushed as he glanced behind him. A man with long black hair that flowed past his shoulders glared down at him with silvery eyes. The man''s skin was very fine and nearly glistened in the light of lanterns hanging from the walls. He looked as if he was in his low 30s. "M-master Youshan didn''t.... tell me... a time." Xai sputtered out, his throat suddenly feeling dry. Did he not have enough water for breakfast? The man''s eyes narrowed. He took his hand off of Xai''s shoulder and started to walk in front of him. Xai took air into his lungs, only then realizing he''d been holding his breath. Expectedly, the man before him had question marks above his head. "Follow me Mr. Faung." The man stated, as he began walking down the hall. Xai followed close behind. Xai was led to the end of the hall, where one last stone door rested. The man stepped to the side and gestured a hand to the door. "Open it." Xai nodded, stepping towards the slab of stone. The ''door'' had no handle, but instead an indention in one of its sides, used to slide the door open and closed. Xai grasped the indention in the stone and pulled. Then he pulled again. The slab wouldn''t budge. He pursed his lips before drawing a small amount of Ki to his hands and arms and pulled again. Xai heard a faint click before the door slid open and slammed into its socket in the doorway. Xai pulled his hands away just in time for them to not get crushed, but the force of him pulling caused him to fall into the man tasked to train him. Xai heard a groan from the man as he used a single hand to pull Xai back to his feet. "Good that you know how to manipulate your Ki to parts of your body." He stated before walking into the room. Xai followed, the stone door closing behind him. The room within looked more similar to a large prison cell rather than a nice place to cultivate. The room was essentially just a bland cube of carved stone with a small window to the outside on the far wall. The only items within the room was a single nap sack, a bag of... something in the corner, and a bucket near the door. The man stepped to the center of the room and turned to Xai. "I am Qin Jie. Refer to me as ''Sir Jie'' or ''Senior Jie''. Count yourself lucky to be in this room. Generally it takes the junior disciples several weeks after the test to even awaken their Ki, let alone set foot in one of our cultivation rooms." Xai suddenly straightened. "Thank you Senior Jie." He said, deciding on what to call his trainer for the time being. Qin continued. "You have also surpassed the record for the highest level of a junior disciple after the first test. The prior was merely level 31." Xai couldn''t keep a smile from tugging at his lips. "Who held the previous record?" He couldn''t help but ask. The senior looked Qin dead in his eyes before speaking. "Me." Xai''s face immediately fell. "Oh... I''m-" He was cut off when Qin held up a hand. "Do not apologize for being better than someone. As a trainer of the junior disciples of this sect I strive for them to be greater than their peers, even myself." Qin made a shallow bow towards Xai. "Good to see you''ve already surpassed me in that regard." Xai''s smile returned. "Now, before we truly begin I want a test of your skills in combat. Feel free to use your weapon as well as every skill at your disposal." The senior stated before tucking an arm inside his uniform. "I will not use any Ki. Come at me as if you were to kill me." Xai raised a brow as he drew his sword and began to draw his Ki into its blade. A moment later he lunged forward and thrust his sword towards the senior''s chest. Qin stepped aside from the blade and knocked aside the follow up swing with his hand. Xai took a step back before moving Ki to the muscles in his leg and sending a kick to Qin''s chest. However the man simply grabbed his foot with his hand and pushed Xai away. "It takes you too long to properly maneuver your Ki from one place to another." The senior stated, stepping forward, slamming his palm into Xai''s chest, and backing away before he could react. Xai doubled over as the air was forced from his lungs. "In a combat scenario against a trained fighter they know better then to give you a second to breathe, especially if their pushing the offensive." Qin stated. "How thinly can you pool your Ki across your body? It seems you can only put it on a single part of your body." Xai took a breathe of air before standing back up. "It''s hard to quickly move it from one area to the other yet. I didn''t choose the skill yet." Qin''s silver eyes narrowed. "''The skill''?" The senior stepped forward and slapped Xai across the face; the blow so strong it sent the younger man slamming against the stone wall. "You want to rely on a skill from the system to solve your problems?" The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Xai stood again. The faint taste of copper lying within his mouth. He drew Ki to the arm holding his sword and rushed forward again. Qin stepped back from the next half dozen slashes before speaking again. "Are you not aware of how the cultivators of old- the ones who ascended to the heavens- learned to harness Ki before the system came into being?" A seventh slash came, only to be caught between two of Qin''s fingers. "They trained, without the unnatural increase in ''stats'' or the flood of knowledge of ''skills''." Qin began stepping forwards. Xai tried to pull his blade back, but it held firm between the senior''s fingers. Xai''s Ki flowed from his arms to his legs as he tried to push against Qin, however he was continuously being forced back. Qin continued to glare into Xai''s eyes. "Whilst I train you, you are not to use any abilities granted by the system. Not a single level will be gained while you are with me. If you have unspent points, they will stay unspent." Xai''s back hit the wall. Qin kept pushing the sword forward, the blade slowly getting closer to the junior''s neck. "Is that clear?" Xai funneled Ki into his arms, trying his best to push against the blade. He nodded at the question. "Speak. Is that clear?" Qin repeated, pushing the blade against Xai''s neck, causing a thin steam of blood to fall down it. Xai quickly nodded again. "Yes, Senior Jie." He grunted out, trying his best to push the blade from his neck. Qin let go of the blade and leapt away to the far wall. Xai suddenly slashed forward in powerful yet unclean stroke where he previously been pushing against the senior disciple. Xai nearly fell, gasping for breath as he felt the shallow cut on his neck. His gaze lifted to Qin once again. The senior however pulled their arm from their uniform and started towards the door. "Cultivate within this room for 6 hours to replenish your Ki. During that time, focus on moving the Ki throughout your entire body more quickly. Then have several points moving at once. Once you''ve gotten that down try spreading the Ki across your entire body either for defense or offense. Once you do one, the other should be easy. I will return at the end of that time to deliver a meal and see your progress." With that Qin walked through the door and slammed it shut before Xai could even utter a word. Xai stood in silence for several seconds, simply staring at the door Qin had vanished beyond. He wiped a hand over his sweating forehead before sitting in the center of the room with his back straightened and legs crossed. He set the scabbard holding his sword next to him as he focused on the ambient strands of Ki around him. To Xai''s surprise, the Ki swirling around the room was nearly twice as dense than that in his quarters. Thought that was a given seeing as that was the purpose of these rooms. During the first hour, his Ki reserves had been completely replenished. The next three had been dedicated to constantly moving Ki across his body at increasing speeds. He even held his sword whilst meditating to have an additional target to move his Ki to. During the next hour, he managed to have two seperate spots of Ki flowing through his body at any given time. While the time it took for Xai to move his Ki from one target to another decreased slightly, he was more thankful that he was now able to reinforce two seperate areas of his body at once. Primarily he focused on reinforcing his muscles in an area for strength, while coating a seperate part of his body for defense. The final two hours were dedicated to him spreading his Ki thinly across his entire body. However, he could hardly manage to spread it beyond his upper body before it could reach no further. The strands of Ki simply became too fine to properly manipulate. Just as he began to contemplate diverging from what Senior Jie had told him- thinking instead to work on expanding his dantian to hold more Ki- the stone door slid open, knocking the junior from his meditation. Qin Jie walked in with two bowls of rice and chicken. He set one down before Xai before the stone door slid shut. "How much did you accomplish?" Xai shot to his feet and stood up straight. "I have managed to reinforce two separate parts of my body at once. However I lack the proper amount of Ki to cover my body- muscle nor exterior." "You lack the proper control." Qin corrected. "While having a larger Ki reserve would certainly help, that isn''t all-important. Someone with the proper control could both reinforce their body, as well as protect it." To prove his point, a dull silver glow began to emanate from Qin''s chest. Xai watched as an amount of Ki- roughly half his own- coursed through Qin''s form before being pulled even thinner to make a coat over Qin''s body. The Ki resembled silver strands of mist mixed with twighlight. Xai stood mesmerizing as the glowing translucent mist before Qin spoke again. "Coat your blade in Ki and strike me. Try to break the barrier I''ve made." Xai drew his sword and pulled as much Ki as he could into blade. He also sent a similar amount to the muscle in his arm as he stepped forward and swung downward on Qin''s shoulder. He expected the barrier to break with how hard he swung the weapon. While he doubted he would get further than Qin''s skin, a barrier of Ki so thin should have been as fragile as a strip of wood. As the blade collided with Qin''s barrier, the weapon was stopped in its tracks. It felt as if Xai had tried to cut through a thick plate of steel. Xai stepped back and changed his stance, pointing the tip of his blade forward. Qin nodded, giving him the go-ahead to make another attack. Xai shifted the Ki in his arm to one of his legs as he shot forward and thrust his blade towards Qin''s chest. Once again his blade was stopped in its tracks. Xai stepped back again as the Ki across his body vanished. "Why is your barrier so durable?" "My Ki is far denser than yours." Qin stated; the silvery Ki around him fading. "It may have been spread incredibly thin, but it was still stronger than anything you''ve cut." Xai''s eyes widened as he looked to the question marks above the senior''s head. "What level are you? And why can''t I see so many people''s levels?" Qin raised a brow at the question. He gestured to the bowl that was still on the ground. "Eat while we talk, I''m sure you''re hungry." As if on queue, Xai''s stomach rumbled, and he grabbed his bowl. "As for the question," Qin began. "I''m D-rank: Level 53. As for the reason you can''t see my level, yours is simply too low. Without some skill to bypass the restraint, you can only see one''s level if it is no more than a rank above your own. However, there are skills that have the ability to conceal that as well. I possess neither, however." Xai raised a brow. "D-rank? That''s hardly enough to become an inner disciple. You are a senior disciple... right?" Qin smirked, letting a small chuckle escape his lips. "I assure you I am one of the most skilled warriors within this sect. And most certainly a senior disciple. While generally one can assume a cultivator''s rank within a sect as many lesser disciples understand it, it is more complex than mere ranks. Primarily, it is about skill and power. Due to my high stage of cultivation, I am far stronger than what my rank would have you believe. I stopped trying to increase my level many years ago. Though I do get the odd ''level up'' after an assignment now and again. The system doesn''t much take into account your true abilities when allowing a level up, merely the level itself." The junior tilted his head to the side. Qin sighed lightly before continuing. "At my current power I can likely take on someone of low to middle C-rank without much issue depending on their level of cultivation. If they lack Ki entirely I could likely take on a middle B-rank if I pushed myself. But regardless, let''s say I do manage to kill a B-rank. My level would ascend by over half a rank simply due to the level difference." Xai nodded in understanding. "I actually also have a few questions on what some of my stats do. Most seem simple enough, such as strength, dexterity, and vitality. But what about things such as willpower, intelligence, or charm? My intelligence score has more then doubled since I touched the ascension stone, and I don''t feel any different in that regard." "The mental attributes are often misunderstood at first. Willpower is mainly the defense of the mind. Various Ki techniques often target the mind, rather than the body. However, it does not prevent things such as stress and fear from taking hold naturally. Intelligence is how much knowledge can be held and has a slight impact on how quickly you learn some things. However it does not make your smarter simply by putting points into it. Charm is unique. It affects how well you can influence others. Whether it be a rousing speech to raise the moral of an army or haggling with a local merchant. It also has an effect on some skills and Ki techniques. Though most of those aren''t taught by the Silver Mist sect. We do specialize in mobility and subversion after all." "One last question," Xai asked, setting his now empty bowl down. Qin waved a hand for the young disciple to continue. "You stated before to not rely on skills. Yet, they seem to be nothing but useful." Qin nodded. "A good question. However I never told you to not rely on skills entirely, but to not rely on them to solve your own problems. The skills of the system- like the system itself- is a tool to be used. Not a crutch to keep you afoot. Many of the skills that can be gained are undoubtedly useful. Even I rely upon many of mine in battle. But don''t let skills be a shortcut to what can be learned naturally. That is what I''m trying to teach you. Now," Qin set his bowl aside- having not eaten a bite. "Grab your sword, we shall continue as we were for 1 more hour, then it is back to Ki control training." Chapter 8: Learning Techniques Xai didn''t leave the stone room for a a full week while he trained with Qin. He was brought food of course. But time he didn''t spend eating or sleeping was spent cultivating or sparing with the senior. Over that time, Xai had refined his control over his own Ki, now being able to spread a thin- albeit fragile- barrier of the energy around himself while also reinforcing a part of his body, or his sword. On top of that, his Ki reserves had nearly tripled since he''d entered the room. However Qin had made a point to hammer into Xai''s head to only use as much Ki as was necessary to win a fight, even if that amount is none. Xai finally stepped from the building; into the sun. "It''s hard to believe I''ve accomplished so much within the first week." He spoke, looking out at the other disciples training in the yard. "You have progressed faster then many other disciples would have. Then again, most of them aren''t permitted within the Ki training rooms until they reach the rank beyond a junior disciple." Qin explained. "Well, it was an honor to train alongside you, Senior Jie." Xai stated, turning and taking a bow to his superior. The Junior expected one back, if not a simple nod. Instead Qin raised a brow. "I appreciate the sentiment, but we are far from complete in your training." Xai suddenly felt his face warm as his gaze met the confused look of Qin. He stood back up straight. "Oh... Master Youshan had said my training would take a week." "Your Ki training would take a week." Qin emphasized the word. "There is still learning many of the sect''s techniques. Increasing your proficiency with a blade- trust me it needs work. That is just the beginning. But once your skill becomes passable you will begin to fulfill the sect''s duties like the rest of us." Xai''s smile deflated. "Oh..." "What? Did you think just because many of the disciples here have been here many years, that they ever stop trying to better themselves? I''ve only halted my training to train you. Then again I suppose that''s what many seniors do." Qin added the last sentence offhandedly. "Regardless, it''s time to teach you a technique or two." He stated as he began to leave the training area. Xai quickly followed. "Already? We just completed training." "We did." Qin agreed, with a faint smirk. The senior disciple led Xai from the training yard; across the sect, to finally arrive at the sect''s library. Inside the silence was nearly deafening compared to the bustle outside. Xai had been within the sect''s library many times before to read up on proper sword forms. But he didn''t spend nearly as much time with his nose between pages as someone like Toya. Qin led Xai to the second floor of the library where the books were more densely packed in even shelves throughout. Very little seating was actually available in the second floor, opting for more shelf space. Qin silently led Xai among the shelves, stopping on a set of shelves lined with bland looking books. There were nearly a dozen copies of each book. Xai scanned over the title of several of the books. They were all rather basic Ki techniques used commonly by cultivators throughout the continent of Azuma. Qin gestured to the books on the shelves. "Choose whichever you like. All of these are fairly simple, you should be able to perform whichever you choose within a week." He whispered, not allowing his voice to be heard beyond the passageway of shelves. Xai scanned amongst the shelves, reading the titles of each book. Some techniques he had heard before. Some for defense, some for offense. Some were of no use to him- needing a weapon such as spear or bow to use. Some however, he''d never heard of before. He picked up one of the books titled ''Corification''. He began flipping through a few of the pages. The technique revolved around condensing a part of your reserved Ki to form a physical core of Ki outside the body. While it did take away from one''s maximum Ki reserves- granted, they could regain it with meditation- any who consumed the core could use it to rejuvenate their own Ki. Xai put the book back before grabbing another; ''Amplify''. It looked rather simple. The technique overcharges the user''s body with Ki from the atmosphere, amplifying their physical traits. The time of the technique varies depending on the constitution of the user as well as their Ki control. Regardless, once the technique had ceased, there was a backlash on their body as Ki was quickly rejected from their body. "That''s quite a good one." Qin noted in a whisper. "Though I would advise against it with your current control and reserves. It will do well to acquire it later." Xai put the book back and chose another; ''Weightless Body''. Before Xai could even open the book, Qin commented on it. "Another good one." He stated. "It used little Ki and doesn''t require much control to maintain. At your current state you could probably keep it up for over an hour whilst fighting. It lightens the body, allowing for greater feats of acrobatics. Masters of the technique can even step through the air itself. But you''re nowhere near that." "Should I learn this then?" Xai whispered back. The senior shrugged. "If you''d like." "I''ll go with this one." Xai said, flipping through a few of its pages. Qin nodded. "Then follow me." The senior led Xai to the third and final floor of the library. This one was considerably smaller and guarded by several disciples whose levels Xai could not see. Like the floors before, the third floor was also filled with bookshelves. Though unlike the floors before, there was only a single copy of each book. Rather than walking through the shelves of books, Qin led Xai to a shelf near the entrance. The senior grabbed a light blue tome from the shelf. As he did, a thin blue tether of Ki that had connected the back of the tome to the shelf snapped like a string. "What was that?" Xai whispered. "Just a safety precaution." He replied back before leading the junior disciple out of the library. "Alright, for your next bit of training- and learning these techniques- we will be venturing into the mountains. Don''t worry, we can use the path this time." Qin assured. The next hour was spent walking from the sect and starting down the mountain before eventually diverging from the path and leading into the forest. "Why must we go into the mountain to train? Would the cultivation rooms or training yard not work?" Xin asked. "The cultivating rooms are too restrictive. And the training yard is too crowded. We just need an open space free of others." Qin eventually led Xai into a clearing amongst the trees. He handed Xai the light brown book- the one holding the ''weightless body'' technique. "Read through that. Circulate the Ki through your body how it shows within its pages." Xai did as he was told. He sat down on the ground and began to read. Passing by the first dozen pages filled with the history of how the technique came to be, he finally arrived on the instructions. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. He began spreading Ki throughout his body as if he were reinforcing his muscles. But instead of condensing the strands of Ki, he let them expand within him. He continued altering the Ki as the book required. The strands of Ki almost felt like they became lighter. As if they expanded so thinly they were lighter than air. He then let the expanded Ki exude lightly from his body; like heat coming from a fire. The Ki connected to the meager amount of ambient Ki around him while still holding onto Xai. The pressure seeming to lighten his body slightly. It was an odd sensation. As if the air tried to constantly lift him upwards, but he was simply too heavy. Xai opened his eyes to see waves of loose Ki constantly waving across his body. His gaze shifted to Qin whose eyes scanned over the junior''s body. "Only took you an hour. For most it takes several. Then again, that is the easiest skill you''ll learn today." He stated. "Keep the technique active; jump around. You should notice the difference." Xai stood up, springing to his feet with ease. Then he took a quick few steps forward before jumping. With his enhanced strength he expected to bound several feet high without much effort. Instead, he rose nearly a dozen before colliding with a large branch. He quickly wrapped his arm around it to prevent himself from falling. "There''s nothing to be afraid of. Drop down." Qin ordered. "You''re a level 40 with awakened Ki, I assure you a dozen foot drop will not end you." Xai looked down before letting go. He readied himself for the landing, but found himself fall slightly slower than normal, like the air was constantly trying to push him up. It wasn''t a major change, if he''d fallen several dozen feet, he still may injure himself had he not properly cushioned his fall. Nonetheless, Xai landed without so much as a bend of his knees. "Good. Now reinforce your legs with Ki- it doesn''t need to be much." His gaze shifted to one of the taller trees around them. "Now practice regulating your Ki from your legs and the technique at the same time until you can reach the highest branch on that tree." He ordered. Xai followed his gaze skyward to the highest branch of a tree over 50 feet high. "You... want me to get all the way up there in a single leap?" Qin nodded. "And not one more." He took a few steps back and sat cross-legged in the grass. "Take your time. I will be cultivating here." He stated before his eyes closed. Xai looked back to the tree. He prepared himself before taking a few quick steps forward and leaping into the air as much as he could. With the combination of Ki reinforcing his legs, the ''weightless body'' technique, and simply putting a bit more effort into his jump then before, he soared over 30 feet towards the precipice of the tree. However he wasn''t even close to his destination. Xai made one last attempt to ascend by planting a foot on the trunk of the tree and pushing himself upwards. However they only rose him another 10 feet before he began to fall. While his decent was still slowed slightly, he had to tuck and roll as he hit the ground to prevent injury. Xai tried three more times, getting no higher then before. It was then he decided to look back at the technique tome. After looking through the tome, he slightly altered the amount of Ki he put into the technique putting more into it and less into his legs. Then he tried again. This time, he didn''t even reach the same spot he had before; being shy by several feet. Next he swapped the amount of Ki between the technique and his legs, putting more to his legs. Once again, he was shy of his original spot by several feet. He moved his Ki so the two sourced roughly equaled each other then glanced back to the tree. Xai sat back down on the ground and began to simply feel the clouds of Ki wrapping around him from the technique. He tried adding more of his Ki reserves to the technique, making the clouds denser. However that had the opposite effect he intended; feeling his body grow slightly heavier. Next he tried to expand the clouds of Ki. He felt his body lighten. However as the Ki began to expand further beyond his body he felt the strands of energy fade away into the atmosphere and become useless. A second later, before he could pull the Ki back in, the cloud of Ki "popped" as the Ki suddenly burst from his body. Xai suddenly felt nearly a full tenth of his Ki reserves vanish in under a second. He gritted his teeth in annoyance before he began to draw the Ki from the atmosphere back into himself. Once his dantian was mostly topped up again- after nearly half an hour- he focused on activating the technique again. This time he focused on not over-expanding the Ki. Just as the Ki began to become one with the atmosphere, he drew the cloud in tighter. There seemed to be an outmost limit of roughly half a foot his Ki could reach before breaking from him. Now with the cloud of Ki wrapped around his body he leapt towards the tree again, not bothering to reinforce his legs. Xai nearly floated as his feet left the ground, feeling the pull of gravity only a fraction of what it normally was. He reached beyond the 30 foot mark before beginning his decent, landing gently on the ground. Next he pulled Ki into his legs. The moment his mind wandered from keeping the cloud expanded, they condensed, making the weight of his body increase. After re-expanding the cloud- keeping his legs reinforced- he ran forward and lept towards the tree. With the combination of the cloud of Ki from the ''Weightless Body'' technique as well as reinforced muscles in his legs, Xai easily made it to the 50 foot mark to the top of the tree. In fact, he nearly overshot, luckily he grabbed into the top of the tree. Finally to his destination, he looked around at the forest before him. He could see above many of the trees from his vantage point, and if he looked skyward, he could just barely see the Silver Mist Sect beyond the mountain''s peak. He looked down the tree to see Qin Jie meditating in the grass. Even from this height, Xai could see the veins of dense Ki flowing through his body and being consumed into his dantian. "Senior Jie!" Xai shouted from atop the branch. Qin''s eyes opened as his gaze drifted upwards to Xai. "You seem to have gotten the hold of basic Ki expansion rather quickly." He stated, standing up. Ki began enveloping his body as small dense clouds of Ki consumed his body. He simply bent his knees slightly and pushed off the ground as he began to ascend to the branch Xai was on. Xai expected the branch to bend down or break under Qin''s weight as he landed on its edge, but the wood hardly buffered. "Did you use only the technique?" The senior asked. "I had to reinforce my legs to have the proper strength to reach up here. Even with the technique." Xai explained. Qin pursed his lips. "That will need work. While you won''t need to expand your Ki too often for the technique, the skill of how to do so quickly will a necessity for many other techniques." He explained. "Especially ones of the Silver Mist Sect. Though that being said." He produced the book he''d taken from the top floor of the library. Xai held a hand out to take it on reaction, but Qin pulled it away as he continued speaking. "The techniques of the Silver Mist Sect are closely guarded; prized possessions of the sect. Any damage done to the tomes is often needed to be paid back many times over. The complete destruction of a tome is often grounds for banishment. That being said, catch." He stated before promptly tossing the tome behind him, sending it hurtling towards the ground. Xai''s eyes widened as he shot downward from the branch, deactivating his technique. He caught the book halfway through its decent. He tried to manifest the technique again to soften his landing, but he did no more then manifest a loose barrier of Ki in front of him as he collided with the ground, holding the tome above his head as to not let it be damage. By the time Xai got up, Qin had appeared next to him, having gently floated down to the ground. "You may need to work on activating the technique faster next time. But that is for later. Open the book and begin practicing. I''ll be meditating." *** Far to the south of the mountain where the Silver Mist sect lay, within a town by a lake, a cultivator dressed in black and red robes wanders through the streets. The sky had began turning a faint orange as the sun began to set. Many merchants tried to usher the man towards their stalls to buy whatever they were selling. The cultivator paid them no mind, turning to walk into a small inn: The Crimson Rose. He nodded to the woman at the bar as she bowed a greeting and walked through one of the back doors and down a staircase. He finally entered a dimly lit room beneath the inn where several men stand around a beaten, unconscious man tied to a chair. The injured man wore the white and blue uniform of the Silver Mist sect. Hovering an inch above his head was his level. [Level: 71 (E)] "He attacked us during one of our runs." A large man next to the chair stated. He was dressed in black leathers with chainmail underneath. His level displayed the highest in the room, apart from the newly entered cultivators whose couldn''t be seen by anyone else in the room. [Level: 36 (D)] The man continued. "He nearly killed Black Wing. In fact, he would have if I never stepped in." He said, gesturing to another, more slender, man in the room. He wore clothes similar to the bulkier man, except a pair of tekko kagi- metal claws- hung at his waist. His level read the second highest in the room, though it seemed meager compared to the other two men. [Level: 14 (E)] The cultivator in black spoke. "How much of the product have been sold throughout the southern province?" "Around three quarters of the pills from last shipment have been sold. We ran out of stock of the minor ascension stones around a month after the delivery." The large man stated. The cultivator nodded. "Good, those were the most important." He looked to the large man. He saw the deep crimson glow pulsing in his chest. "I see you''ve made great use of the pills, Hang." The tall man smiled. "I have." He held up a hand as blood-red Ki began to form on his hand before protruding out and morphing into a small blade. "And with a few skills I''ve even managed to make Ki blades." The cultivator nodded. "And Black Wing?" He turned his head to the slender man, no such Ki radiating in his chest. "He refused to take it." Hang stated. "He doesn''t like needing excess help outside his own talent, and whatever the system gives him." "To each their own." The cultivator sighed, turning to face back to the unconscious man. "This will not interfere with our trade. Another shipment of stones and pills will be sent to you at the end of the month. I expect those excess pills to be sold by then." He stated. He swiped a hand in front of the unconscious man''s neck; flinging his head from his shoulders. "And clean up the mess." Chapter 9: Preparation "The outer disciple who had ventured to the southern regions has yet to return. I haven''t even heard a single message from them since their departure." Youshan spoke as he mulled over the morning reports. Standing on the other side of his desk within his quarters was Qin Jie, standing at attention. He had been called to his Master''s audience at sunrise- taking time away from training the junior disciple who still rested within the forests of the mountain. "So I''m thinking of sending you and Xai to the south to check up on them." Youshan continued. The senior raised a brow. "I understand myself, but why bring the junior along? I''m sure I will be more then enough to handle whatever issues the outer disciples have acquired." Youshan waved the words away with a hand. "I am well aware, Senior Jie. But you''ve said yourself the young man is progressing rather quickly, has he not?" Qin nodded. "Then take him towards the south. Call it... on field training." The master stated with a slight smirk. "It will do him well to see what he is expected to handle within the higher ranks. Of course, I still expect you to do much of the heavy lifting. But regardless my point still stands." Qin pursed his lips, but ultimately put his hands together and bowed to his master. "As you wish Master Wu." The senior began to turn away, but a scroll floated before him, being held aloft by a thick cloud of mist. "You may need this. Don''t want to go to the wrong place like last time after all." Youshan smirked. Qin scowled as he felt his cheeks grow warm. "I am well aware of the issues that arose during my first mission." He stated before snatching the scroll out of the air and heading towards the door, attempting fruitlessly to tune out the laughing of the sect master. *** Xai sat cross legged in the forest clearing. He kept careful control of his breathing, in taking as much of the ambient Ki around him as he could to pull it into his dantian. Over the passed few hours after Qin''s departure to the sect hall Xai had did little else but increase his Ki reserves. However, over such little time, and with so little Ki in the air, it had hardly done much. The tome holding the Silver Mist Sect''s technique lay before him. He''d trained to perform the technique restlessly the passed two days within the forest, but it was far more complicated then he expected. After being able to perform the weightless technique so easily, he expected the sect''s technique to be similar. According to Senior Jie, the basic method of expanding one''s Ki beyond their physical body was used for both techniques. Fortunately, Xai had progressed through his skill with the weightless technique rather well. He was now able to reach the 50 foot high branch with around three-quarters as much Ki as he had needed initially. In fact, if he tried hard enough, he could nearly leap over the entire 60 foot tall tree. But he hadn''t quite crested it yet. The junior''s eyes snapped open when he heard footsteps behind him. He quickly stood and spun around, expecting to see some curious or ferocious beast stalking towards him. Instead he saw a tall, handsome man with flowing black hair. "Oh, Senior Jie." Xai bowed to his superior. "I didn''t sense you." "As you shouldn''t. But I do have something to speak with you about." The senior stated, pulling a scroll from his robe. "There will be a change of plans. We will be heading south." Xai''s brows knit together. "Why''s that?" Qin simply unfurled the scroll and turned it towards Xai. It was a map of southern Azuma. From the mountain ranges that separated the southern region from the central one where Dantang, as well as the Silver Mist Sect, resided. On the northern side of the southern region, at the base of the mountains a town was marked and labeled: Xuefeng. "An outer disciple was sent there many weeks ago to sort out a an issue with the distribution of illegal goods. However since he arrived at the town he has gone completely dark. Master Wu has asked me to go there and see if the disciple is even still alive, and complete the mission they could not. And to bring you along with me." Xai scanned over the map one more time before looking to the senior. "Do you think I''m ready? I haven''t even performed the sect''s basic technique yet. Not only that; I''m still at F-rank." "With your Ki, you''re at least nearing E-rank. But even so I will be able to handle anything you cannot. For the most part this will simply act as a glimpse into what you''re expected to accomplish on your own as you advance through the sect hierarchy." Xai nodded. "Well... when do we head out?" "Now, well, after you gather your things I suppose. You won''t need much. Just grab a bag with some simple bedding and a bit of food. I can get us to the mountains in the south within a day. And into the town by the next morning." This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Xai''s eyes widened. "How? It''s several dozen miles of land from here to there." "Don''t underestimate the strength of a senior disciple." Was Qin''s only response. "Now get back to your quarters and gather your things. I expect to see you by the exit of the sect by noon." *** Xai had quickly gathered his things for departure. He was halfway through packing some bedding when a knock at his door startled him. "Xai, you''re in there right?" A familiar voice came through. Xai quickly walked to the door and slid it open. Before him was a young white haired woman. Her eyes were a deep scarlet. Her face was contorted into an annoyed scowl. "Oh... Toya. I was just-" "Where have you been? I haven''t seen you at all since I got out of the infirmary." She asked, cutting Xai off. "I''ve just been training with a senior disciple." Xai stated, tempted to take a step back from the angry woman. "Well I know that. Liang told me. But where have you been? I haven''t seen you in the training yard. Nor the library. Not even the fucking dining area. Have you even eaten the passed week?" Toya asked, taking a step forward. Xai could practically see the dull crimson glow of anger in his friend''s eyes as he took half a step back. "I''ve eaten I assure you." He quickly stated, letting out a half-nervous laugh. "I''ve just been within the cultivation rooms for most of my time, except for the passed day or two. Then I''ve been within the mountain practicing techniques. Well... I''ve only managed to actually use one of them." Xai laughed nervously. Toya glared into Xai''s eyes for a for more seconds before sighing. "By the emperor... it''s so frustrating you managed to awaken Ki before me or Liang. Getting special treatment from the sect." She grumbled. "Any more of that and I''m going to have a serious talk with Master Youshan." "Um... about that." Xai said. He couldn''t stop himself from smiling before he spoke next. "I am actually packing for a mission with the senior disciple to venture down south and check on some stuff." Toya stomped her foot a shot a look to Xai again. "Are you serious?!" The white haired woman took a breath before looking past Xai, into his room. "What have you packed so far?" Xai stepped aside to let his friend into the room. "Mainly just bedding and some healing ointments. And a change of clothes." Toya stepped into the room, looking immediately to a sack on the bed filled with a bedroll, a small box- presumably the medical supplies, and a jumbled up set of clothes. "What about things to clean yourself with?" She asked, turning around on her heels to face the man. "Do I really need them? I''ll only be away for a few days." "Of course you need them. Do you know how dirty you can get in a few days?" Xai just shrugged before walking over to a door on the side of the room and tossing it open. A second later, he walked back to his bed carrying a few small boxes and a pouch before haphazardly tossing them into his travel bag. "How are you and Liang doing with training?" He asked, turning back to Toya. "In fact, what have you two been doing for training? I know it''s nothing I''ve been doing." "Ki manipulation? No. All training has been for us is just sparing matches with the others who got up the mountain; getting used to our new enhanced stats." Toya''s had went to the back of her should as if remembering something unpleasant. "Liang nearly threw me through a wall a few days ago during a spar. Though he at least apologized after." Xai chuckled. "He hardly knew his own strength before acquiring the system, I can only imagine the hurdles he''ll need to jump through in the future." Xai turned back to the bag on his bed, thinking for a moment on what more he needed to pack- if anything. Toya''s chuckle turned to a smile as she looked at Xai, he eyes drifted from his general form, to the level above his head. Then something else caught her eye. A faint scare crept at the bottom of his neck, peaking just above the top of the collar of his gi. Toya''s smile faded as she spoke. "How''s the mark on your back?" Xai was snapped from his thoughts as the question. Suddenly, something on his back- between his shoulder blades- began to burn. His hand drifted to the mark. Beneath his gi he fealt the faint indention the scar made on his skin as he traced his finger along it, forming a circle. "I''m just asking... cause I know it hurts sometimes when you push yourself. Like at the mountain." Toya assured. "It''s been fine." Xai stated taking his hand from his back. He then grabbed his bag and tied it. "I should probably get going." He stated flatly. "Xai... I didn''t mean to-" "It''s fine Toya." He said. He grabbed his blade from the side of his bed and slung the pack over his shoulder. "But I need to go." Without another word he walked right passed Toya and down the hall, not stopping to even look her in the eyes. *** Xai was sure he heard Toya call his name as he briskly walked down the hallway. He''d nearly left the building entirely when he suddenly noticed he hadn''t taken a breath. His lungs suddenly sucked in as much air as they could as Xai leaned against the wall to steady himself. His head felt light for a moment. The mark his back burned. So much so he had instinctively drawn Ki around it to heal it, but it quickly dispersed back into his dantian when the obvious occurred; there was nothing to heal. Xai''s jaw clenched as he knelt to the ground. He tried to draw Ki to it again, nothing. Why did it burn? More Ki, nothing. It felt like something was burning through his flesh. Xai clutched the scabbard of his sword so hard his knuckles went white. His free hand drifted to his hair, he picked several strands before a hand was rested on his back. "Xai." The voice sounded so far away. The only thing in his mind was the burning sensation between his shoulder blades. "Xai!" The voice was closer, he felt an arm grasp his jaw and turn his head. "Xai!" Finally, the voice broke his thoughts again. He saw a white haired woman kneeling down next to him. Her worried crimson eyes staring into his. It was then that the pain finally subsided and many things became clear. He felt the numbness in his chest as it heaved up and down; he''d been hyperventilating. Next was the beating of his heart as if it tried to escape his chest; as if he had just been fighting for his life against some beast. He felt a pair of cold wet streams fall down his cheeks. He had been crying. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have-" Toya began. "It''s alright." Xai said. His voice was slightly shaken; his nerves quickly died down as he got to his feet. "I shouldn''t have brought that up. I''m sorry." Toya repeated. "It''s alright." Xai said again. He rubbed at his back, still feeling the warmth of the phantom pain across the mark. "But I do have to go, Qin needs me by the exit at noon." Xai started towards the exit door before him but stopped halfway and turned to Toya. "And thank you." With that, he continued onward; a sack over his shoulder and a blade in his hand.